Old You Aint Seen Nothin Yet
by Rowan Watkins
Summary: It's her 7th year at Hogwarts, and Rowan Watkins wants to end the year with a bang.When she finds the Marauders are also looking for a little end of year mischief,she and best friend Lily Evans compete with Hogwart's bad boys to pull the ultimate prank.
1. Chapter 1

Part One

On Saturdays Rowan would lie in bed and think of all the activities of the day, thoughts swirling through her brain like a swarm of buzzing hornets, streaming out of her skull and winding themselves through her quill, which was always pressed to a pad of crisp parchment. With each delicate _scritch,_ ink slid over paper and a new thought would present itself. By the end of each day Rowan had a list to reference for all her jumbled ideas. A typical list might include the following-

What had happened in class that day

You-Know-Who and the Order

Remus Lupin

Lily liking James

The possible love connection between toast and the Giant Squid

Though these lists were incredibly pointless, the ramblings of a lovestruck, thoughtful adolescent girl, they had a calming affect over Rowan. Years later, when the baby was put to sleep and she had a moment to herself, she'd take the papers from the shoe box beneath her bed and laugh over how serious everything seemed, from her horrible new haircut to the possibility that Remus had not been smiling at her in the corridor, but in fact had been grinning at her horrible hair or a block of spinach in her teeth. Oh, the horror.

Yet whenever Rowan made a list, it had a point. Things she did always had to have points, she simply wasn't the type of person to do work that wasn't needed. (She was much too lazy for that) No, Rowan was a doer, a paranoid young woman with her feet anywhere but the ground and a cheerful disposition. What Rowan wanted to be done usually got done, she made sure of that, and it was on this Saturday afternoon that Rowan had settled herself on a cushion in the window seat, a fresh list propped up on her knees and quill clenched in teeth. Just as she guided her quill to paper a small, auburn head forced it's way into her box and with a friendly, bright grin shouted "Hey!" right into Rowan's face, causing her to drop the inkwell all over herself in shock.

"Dammit Lily, watch where you're poking that nose of yours, you could take a person out."

Lily laughed, her green eyes sparkling. "You know you loved it. Whatcha' working on, another list?"

The girls had been friends for too long not to know the other's smallest tendencies. Rowan sometimes would get sentimental and remember the first day they met, long haired and wild on the Hogwarts Express. Of course, things had been slightly different then, with Snivellus tagging around, wiping his nose on his frayed sleeves and his beady black eyes always hidden by that oily curtain of jet black hair. Funny how when Rowan found herself in that compartment with Lily, Snape, and the now semi-famous Mauraders she had felt anything but love to the whole lot of them. Lily seemed too bossy, James too arrogant, Sirius too demanding, Remus too dull, and Snape...he'd always seemed too creepy. But when given the choice between staying to have a lovely chat with four boys or sitting with one bossy redhead, well...Rowan always chose the thing most familiar, and Lily's company was just that. Despite not getting along very well at all (the first day in Potions Rowan delivered the first attack, purposely causing a cauldron to explode in Lily's face, while Lily sought revenge by contaminating Rowan's eggs with bobotuber pus) The other now knew each other so well it was like having a second self. Snapping out of her reflection, Rowan crumpled up the parchment and lazily tossed it over Lily into the rubbish bin by her feet, where it crumpled into a heap at the base, missing the target.

"Nice one." Lily said, smirking. Rowan laughed.

"Oh, shut it, you."

The sun was dazzling, high and bright in the warm September sky, not yet plagued by heavy gray clouds and the dainty V formations of southbound geese. Unusually warm the girls headed outside to the lakeside. Rowan marveled at the beauty of the ground's massive orange gold trees while Lily blabbered on about the idiocy of James Potter, who was cooling his feet at the water's edge with his friends in tow and throwing Lily furtive glances with every ruffle of his jet-black hair.

"Great, stupid prat. Who does he think he is, anyway?" Lily growled, staring moodily back at James, who grinned and waved. Rowan, who had only been half listening, smiled at this and popped a shimmering cube of Coconut Ice into her mouth, letting the gooey texture melt onto her tongue.

"I don't know. The fan-fuckingtastic King of Hogwarts perhaps?"

Lily laughed, eying her reflection in the cool ripples of water. "Thank god I can count on you to tell it like it is...and get that thing out of your mouth, you've already had ten this morning."

Rowan rolled her eyes, taking another cube from the bag and running her tongue slowly around it's perfectly formed corners, licking down the edges. "Look Lily, another one!" She swallowed the square whole and stuck another in her mouth, putting more in as she went. "And another! How DOES she do it?!" Lily laughed, swatting at Rowan with her quill.

"Stop that, you're disgusting...speaking of disgusting, does Potter keep looking over here? Distract me."

And so Rowan pulled a giant Arithmancy book from Lily's bag, opened it to the most difficult page she could find, and proceeded to quiz Lily on ever star in the galaxy until Peter dropped his shoes in the Lake and the gang retired to the castle early. So was the beginning of life at Hogwarts for seventh year Rowan Watkins.

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The next morning at breakfast the ceiling was a deep, lustrous blue, shimmering stars still reflected from the dark sky outside. Under it chaos reigned, as Lily dissected their new schedules while Rowan fussed over her owl, who had crash landed into her cereal after skidding on stupid Longbottom's jelly. Who ate jelly at six in the morn would puzzle Rowan for a lifetime, but at the moment she was in too bad of a mood to care as she tried to mop a soggy owl and listen to Lily complain.

"Potions first thing in the morning, wonderful, Slughorn might be in a better mood...ugh, Potter breezed by this morning and told me, with that cocky manner of his, that we've got Arithmancy and Ancient Runes together. Just when I thought I got rid of him!!" She cried, stuffing her schedule into her bag and latching it shut with an annoyed expression. "That boy will follow me to my grave."

The owl was now screeching madly, greatly opposed to having it's feathers siphoned off with a dish towel, but Rowan refused to give up.

"Gimme a hand with the rogue owl?" She grunted, as her bird squealed and made another bid for freedom. Lily raised a brow.

"That thing loathes you. Why don't you just use your wand?" What help she could be.

"I don't trust myself with magic around owls. Last time I tried anything half her feathers fell out, d'you remember that?"

"That was years ago, when we were supposed to be turning animals into tea cups!" Lily cried, falling into a fit of giggles at the memory.

"Good times." Rowan said, smiling a bit herself as she wiped around her owl's eyes.

"What's gotten into that bird?"

It was none other than James Potter, and he was beaming behind Lily, who stopped supporting the owl's other leg. Upon realizing the release of one of it's limbs, and a split second later that it's owner had notoriously poor reflexes, the owl let out a loud screech and took off for the Owlery, beating it's wings frantically and swooping low over people's heads, causing them to duck over their porridge.

"She's never going to come back." Rowan said, wiping away streaky jelly marks from her side of the table with the milk sodden napkin. Sirius Black slid into the seat next to her and helped himself to a piece of burnt toast, buttering it liberally before swallowing it whole.

"I wouldn't be too upset about that." He said pointedly, tossing his hair out of his eyes. "Last time you sent me a letter that fiend bit me. _I_ wouldn't want a smelly owl that bites my friends, but then again that's just my humble opinion." Rowan yawned.

"Thanks for that bit of philosophy, Sirius, but I think I'll keep my owl." Sirius shrugged, buttering another burnt piece of toast.

"Suit yourself mate, but I'm _Sirius Black_...I know things. And that bird is going to eat you in the night."

A seat down, James was yet again attempting to charm Lily.

"Going out for Quidditch again this year."

"When do you NOT go out for the team, Potter?"

"Why sit out when you're as good as I am?"

"Your confidence certainly is admirable."

"Well, I--"

"Sarcasm, Potter. I'm going to be late for Potions."

"That class is bobbins, we should have dropped it years ago...hang on, don't look like that, I forgot it was your favorite! Listen, I like it a lot too! Slughorn's lovely, just.....wait, we have it together, I'll walk you there!"

"Because I need YOUR protection from all those pickled animals in the Dungeons." Lily snapped, her brilliant hair flying in a frenzied halo around her face. "The fact that I have a fully functional wand and seven years magical training doesn't mean a thing."

"No, thats not...I just...Wait! Evans!!!"

And with that they were off across the Hall, playing their ever going game of cat and mouse Hogwarts had come to expect year after year from James Potter and Lily Evans. Sirius watched them go, his head cocked to the side, then let out his sharp bark like laugh and slung his bag over his shoulders.

"Guess we better be getting going too. Come along, m'lady?" He asked, bowing and offering on hand to Rowan. From the corner of her eye, Rowan observed Remus quickly duck his head behind his thick Arithmancy book.

"Why thank you, good sir." She said, taking his hand with a smile. Together they crossed the Hall to the staircase that led to the Dungeons, the raised voices of Lily and James telling them they had reached their destination.

"How can they be fighting _again_?" Sirius asked in astonishment, his thick eyebrows pinching together in the middle of his forehead. Rowan shrugged, squeezing past Sirius into the room.

"It's Lily and James. I like to think of it as bonding for them." Sirius laughed.

"You still like to think James got a chance, eh?"

Rowan paused before answering this question. Year after year this scenario played out, and year after year James Potter still never got the girl. She'd tried countless times to convince Lily that Potter wasn't so bad after all, but all that got her was an icy stare, a curse narrowly avoided, or some snippy remark along the lines of "Then why don't _you _date the arse?" Truthfully, Rowan was getting tired of trying, but she couldn't say no to James's puppy dog eyes or the friendly attitudes of the Mauraders when she agreed to do a little persuading. 'I have to start saying no,' Rowan thought, tugging at her curls.

"I honestly think they've got as much of a chance as you and me Black." Rowan said, pushing her finger into Black's chest to distance him from her. "But James can still try."

Black's eyebrow raised, and he looked momentarily confused before snickering and giving Rowan's hair an affectionate tousle.

"Ah, Watkins." He said, shaking his head. "You think we'll never be together? Wrong you are, mate. I can see the desire in your eyes. Your fingers, they just long to touch this body." Rowan snorted.

"I think it's the other way around kid. Those hands of yours, they can't control themselves when they see these curves."

"Right you are, m'lady." Sirius chortled. "How'd you know?"

"Just a lucky guess. Now get in here, we're gonna be late."

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It was night, and after a hectic schedule, during which Rowan fell prey to no less than four trick steps, had a potion bubble over her cauldron, forgot her quill, singed off part of her hair and had another conference with James Potter, she was feeling extremely worn out. Surrounded in the warm glow of the dormitory, books and parchment spilled out onto Rowan's four poster and Lily's pushed next to it, Rowan finally set down her quill after completing a Transfiguration chart and rubbed her eyes.

"Blimey, McGonagall's working us to the bone already and term's barely started."

Lily came floating into view, illuminated in her white dressing gown as she un-braided her thick hair.

"I don't know what you expected, Rowan. This is our last year before we're out in the real world, and McGonagall is only being realistic when she gives us this much work. When we're actually working it won't be all fun and games, you know."

She tossed her hair over her shoulder and settled herself on her bed, packing away her books and quills and arranging them in perfect order. That was just the way of Lily Evans-order, order, and...well, more order.

"And we're aiming for Auror training. You shouldn't have taken Auror classes if thats not what you really are into doing." Rowan yawned, stretching her arms towards the ceiling.

"There's no way I'm skipping out now. We're joining the Order to do some good in this world, and hell, I say it'll work. It's just that I'm lazy, and a trip to the kitchens for a midnight glass of milk sounds pretty damn wonderful right now."

Lily raised a brow, then seized Rowan's hand and guided her towards the door to the common room.

"That sounds fantastic. Do you remember how to get in there?" Rowan smirked.

"Like I ever would forget. Do you have the shoe?" Lily smiled, pulling from behind her gown a long, purple pump.

"Already one step ahead of you, Watkins." She said with a wink. "Let's hurry down there."

It was exciting, the castle at night. Floors creaked and the paintings were sound, sleeping deeply in their long portraits. The stone corridors gave a feeling of unease, but Lily and Rowan had snuck out plenty of times before to know the routes to use. The quickest way to the kitchens was to use the stairwell near the third corridor on the Gryffindor tower floor, but that space was always prowled by Mrs. Norris, Filch's dusty cat. The next quickest route was patrolled ruthlessly by Filch himself, so the girls had devised a way of getting down to the kitchens from their first trip first year. The purple pump was Lily's, and was placed in the crook of the door at the beginning of every outing to ensure that the big, creaky oak door would not lock them out ever again.

"Is it just me or is everything darker than usual tonight?" Lily asked, blindly feeling around the walls as the two girls padded down the corridor. Rowan shuddered from the cold, taking Lily by the elbow.

"It's just you. Don't worry, I'm here."

They continued down the corridor at a snail's pace, pausing at every creak or groan of the castle with bated breath, pressed against the cold walls until silently signaling to the other it was safe to move on. After ten minutes of travel Lily grabbed Rowan's arm and pulled her to a dark corner, far away from any torchlight, and dragged her to the floor.

"What are you---?!" Rowan hissed, but Lily forced a hand over her mouth. "Sssh!"

"What are you doing, madwoman? I swear Lily, you're a nutter, what the bloody hell is--"

"I said sssh!!" Lily snapped, her bright green eyes shimmering ominously in the dim light. She removed her hand from Rowan's mouth and said, a little fearfully, "I think we're being followed."

"What?"

"That's just what I think. Let's...let's just stay here for a little longer to see what's going on, and if it's just the wind or something we can get going again." She whispered, pulling her dressing gown tight over her knees. Rowan would usually have argued back, she had proved herself decent at matching Lily's lightning quick temper and wit, but to be honest she didn't like the idea of being stalked by someone whom she imagined as humpbacked and fanged following her anymore than Lily did.

(Notes:That's all for now, I can only stay focused for so long before I've got a craving for a twisty cone or long to finish that Fender drawing lol. Hope you liked it. Be sure to check out my profile sometime, it's where you can find more than you ever needed to know about Rowan and a bit more on the story. Oh, and despite the flirtatious banter between Rowan and Sirius, she will NOT be getting in his pants...or even dating him. Comment lots...By the way, does anybody know how do put paragraphs on here? I tried but it's not letting me. Any help would be great, this stupid thing is so hard to read _)


	2. Chapter 2

They were quiet, and it wasn't long until Rowan heard it too-the soft, shuffling sounds of feet and small whispers.

"Sounds like men." Rowan breathed, edging forward to get a better look. Lily's arms were lightning fast, reaching out for her gown and dragging her back to safety.

"Sssh! They're getting closer."

Indeed they were. The shuffling was growing louder, and the incoherent, deep male whispers were sounding closer with every step. Rowan looked to Lily to see her eyes wide, her neck craning to get a better look out into the darkness.

"I wish they'd hurry up and show their damn faces already." She growled, using Rowan's shoulder to prop herself up for a better look. "They couldn't be more than students…"

Rowan winced, Lily's pincer like grip digging into her shoulders. The footsteps grew louder until, quite suddenly, they stopped altogether. Lily looked towards Rowan.

"Good, they left, now we can---POTTER!!" She screeched, for James had suddenly seized her around the waist and was laughing in her ear as she kicked, writhing to set herself free.

"Sneaking around the grounds this late at night, Evans? Tsk tsk, what will mother say…" James said casuaully, releasing her and pacing the hall with hands slung low in his robe pockets. "Head Girl and everything. What trouble you'd be in if you happened to be found…" Lily's eyes blazed in the firelight, and she launched herself at James Potter and began hitting every part of the boy she could reach.

"And what will everyone say when I bust their beloved Head Boy for stalking the Head Girl AND, on top of that, slinking around at night like he was invisible!"

An odd, superior smile flickered across James's face in the dim firelight, and he chuckled, glancing over his shoulder. 

"Game's up, boys. Looks like Evans found us."

From the darkness, seemingly out of nowhere, the remaining Mauraders appeared. Peter came into view first, his watery eyes squinting in the darkness, trying to make out the faintest bit of light. Sirius strolled over to them next, hands in his pockets just like James and a boyish smirk on his face as he sauntered over to them and stood next to Rowan. Last was Remus, who slouched towards them with a grim face but mischievous twinkle in his tawny eyes. At the sight of him, and realizing that she was only in a dressing gown, Rowan felt her face grow hot, and she pushed her curls over her face to hide the burn.

"Well, now that the gang's all here," Lily said acidly, surveying the little group and giving Remus a rather tight lipped smile, "Why don't you tell us what exactly you were doing here?"

James shrugged, leaning against the wall. "Same thing you lovely ladies are. Just wandering about. We do this a lot, actually."

Too late, James realized his mistake. Lily had gotten the information she wanted. With a real, wide smile she seized Rowan's hand and began to walk towards the stairs, a spring to her step.

"I've finally got you, Potter. I'm going to get you into so much trouble you won't believe it. No more superiority and arrogant smugness here, you've gotten yourself into this one." She was ablaze with excitement, her eyes bright and clear in the torch light. Halfway up the stairs, Rowan wrought herself free of Lily's death grip and crossed her arms defiantly, leaning against the banister. 

"Do you realize that if we say we found them sneaking around, McGonagall would assume we were out of bed too?" Lily's foot paused in mid air, and she turned so fast she slid down several steps and onto the stone floor.

"Dammit, didn't think of that…but wait!" She cried, jogging up the steps to Rowan. "If we tell her we heard noises in the common room, then thought of it as my job as Head Girl to investigate, with you as protection, it would be a valid excuse."

"Why on earth would you bring me for protection Lily? I see a spider and nearly wet myself."

"Well that's besides the point. McGonagall loves us, there's no way she'd--hey! GET BACK HERE YOU THIEVING MONKEYS!!" Lily suddenly cried, for she had just caught James Potter and his gang slinking off into the shadows, taking full advantage of the two friend's argument.

James winced as Lily's words hit him, and he turned around to find her marching towards him with slits for eyes and her face screwed up in anger. 

"Get back here, you coward! Face me like the man you claim to be!"

This was too much for James. All gentlemanly swagger disappeared, and the pleasantly flushed cheeks were washed away by pure, angry red.

"Evans, I don't know why you care so much we were out after dark, but it's none of your business. You just go on your merry way and I'll go on mine!" Lily laughed derisively.

"Sending me away like a little schoolgirl now, are you Potter? Well let me tell you, women have been liberated and we don't have to take orders from any man, especially not men like you!" With that Lily turned on her heel and seized Rowan's hand again, dragging her up the stairs. All was quiet for a moment, until Potter let her words sink in and decided he wasn't backing down without a fight.

"Don't twist my words around, Lily!" He cried up the stairs. "That interpretation is all on you, not me. If you really want to know what we were doing down here so badly, I'll gladly tell you."

That had an effect on Lily. She paused on the steps and turned, letting go of Rowan, who rubbed the mark on her wrist furiously. 

"Alright Potter." She said smoothly, tossing her hair out of her eyes. "Give it to me straight."

Black, who had been watching the exchange like a tennis match through his onyx eyes, suddenly came to life, falling to one knee before James and gripping the folds of his cloak. 

"Don't do it mate!" He cried, tugging on the thick fabric. "You're giving her power!! She'll be able to control us!"

But James's mind was already made up, and at that moment Lily's opinion mattered more than his best friends. "We're mapping out an area for our end of year prank. It's the biggest yet. Happy now?"

This had only captured Lily's attention.

"Prank?" She asked, gliding down the stairs. Sirius fell to the floor at James's feet and sobbed in fake agony. Rowan smirked, giving him a little kick with her foot as she passed by him. "Drama king." Sirius flopped over onto his back and winked.

"Yea, prank. We pull one every year, but this one…it's the Big Bang, we like to call it." James said with pride, smiling at Lily.

"Name courtesy of Mister Remus Lupin, my dear friend and partner in crime." Sirius added, appearing at Jame's side with a mock bow to Lupin. Remus gave a small smile, then stared down at his feet again. Lily was eyeing James apprehensively.

"I know about your yearly pranks. They're always….enlightening. Continue." James looked uneasy.

"Well there's not really much more too--"

"In exchange that you don't tell anyone about us sneaking out, we won't tell on you if you agree to a challenge." Lily cut across him, her hands on hips. James looked skeptically at Lily.

"What kind of challenge?" He asked. Lily smiled mischievously, standing up to her fullest height.

"A prank pulling contest, that's the kind." James eyed Lily for a moment, and she stuck out her hand, a small smile curving at the corners of her lips.

"Don't do it, James!!" Sirius cried from the wall, his eyes fixed on Lily's outstretched hand. "It's like selling your soul to Satan!!" James ignored him. 

"Deal." He said, his hand wrapping around Lily's. They shook hands quickly, Lily dusting hers off on her robes as though James' hand had been contaminated after finishing. 

"A deal is a deal, Potter." She warned, sliding up the stairs again. "And just to warn you, if I ever catch you out of bed again I will go straight to Dumbledore's office, no questions asked." James nodded.

"Sounds good, Evans." He said, smirking slightly, "But just to warn _you-the Mauraders don't dissapoint." And without warning he was suddenly gone, as if he'd dissolved into thin air._

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	3. Chapter 3

Time passes swiftly at Hogwarts, and before long Rowan found herself wrapping her self in an overlong tweed coat, sliding on gloves that made her hands big as Hagrid's and donning an ugly yarn cap.

"Why does winter have to do this to me?" She whined, examining her reflection in the mirror. Lily smiled, coming out of the bathroom with a foamy mouth of toothpaste.

"Oh please don't take it off, it's too wonderful to look at." Rowan hopefully adjusted the hat, where it still, despite her best efforts, clashed horribly with her vivid hair.

It was November, the start of the Quidditch season, but the old house rivalries had been going on for months.

"Better hope you'll be able to stay on that broomstick, kid!" One hulking Slytherin called to a new Gryffindor player in the halls.

The Slytherins, by no means the cheeriest lot, had a new spring to their swaggers as the first game dawned, Gryffindor vs. Slytherin, and Lily was debating about not attending since Potter would be there and only agreed when Rowan threatened to tie her ankles together and drag her to the game and actually began to do so. The weather had turned extremely cold just in the past few weeks, and it was with only half high spirits that fans trudged along the crunchy, frosted grass, their breath sparkling in the chilled morning air.

"Slytherins dominating the field this year!" One boy called to Lily as they made their way towards the stands.

"In your dreams, serpent. It's lions for the Cup!" She bantered back, tossing her long hair out of her eyes. Rowan winked at her.

It was this frenzied energy that Rowan loved. The eager chatter of crowds, the witty banters between members of the opposing teams (friendly or brutal, depending on how the other person took it. Sirius Black had gotten himself a black eye when trying to joke around with the usually calm Hufflepuff captain about the upcoming game) and the high spirit of supporting teams, some going so far as to paint their faces in strips of house colors or match their makeup and dress to show school spirit. Lily had complemented her eyes with a striking gold shadow, and the scarf she wore alongside her maroon pea coat and matching beret perched on her head screamed for attention…and she was getting it. Instead of throwing insults at her like they normally would have done, Slytherin boys cat called as she swept by their stands , but she kept her head high and ignored all their advances.

"It only encourages them." She said airily as Rowan followed her gloomily, feeling terribly under-dressed in her strange green trench like coat and fuzzy purple hat.. She only prayed no one important would notice her…though she had to admit her prayers probably would be answered, since it was hard to notice her next to Lily any day.

But today was an exception.

"Oi! You there!" Rowan turned at the same time as Lily to see a short, straw haired boy running frantically at them waving a bright purple microphone. "Stop!" He cried in a thick Irish accent. They did.

"Thanks…" He panted,. They allowed him a moment to catch his breath, and he stood up and smiled at them.

"Me girl's having a fit, she's seen me with another girl, she 'as…but it wasn't like that, we was just talkin'. Thing is, I gotta go sort things out with her, and I cant if I'm screaming out to the Quidditch fans. You getting me here?" His wide eyes shimmered as they looked back and forth from Lily to Rowan. Lily caught on first.

"So you want one of us to commentate. Well, I could do it. James Potter would probably fall off his broom in shock if he heard me dictating his playing." She smiled and closed her eyes at the thought, envisioning it in perfect clarity. The boy raised a brow.

"Yea, well, I kinda meant the bird next to you. Here ya go doll." He said, thrusting the microphone into Rowan's hands. "Dig the funny hat!" And he turned and ran towards the field entrance, where a long haired girl turned away from him, evidently in tears.

"What?! It's not my fault you're a dirty cheater and you're girlfriend's got common sense! Do your job!: She yelled after the boy, but he didn't look back. Frustrated, Rowan gave the microphone a hard smack. "…and my hat is not funny." She muttered, a little hurt.

:"Well you heard the man, Rowan!" Lily said, suddenly guiding her towards the Top Box. "He's got girl problems and needs you to take over, easy enough." Rowan dug her heels into the ground.

"No! I don't know enough about Quidditch, it will be a disaster. I can't fly, how am I supposed to narrate flight?" But Lily was determined, and soon Rowan found herself being pushed up the stairs to the Top Box by a very frustrated friend.

"Bloody hell, Rowan." Lily muttered as she pushed against Rowan's back. "Just walk up the stairs, I can't push you all the way there!" Rowan crossed her arms.

"You've pushed me this far, just a little longer won't hurt."

Obviously Lily thought it would. She gave a great push and Rowan was sent flying into the Top Box door. "Lock it once she's in there." Lily told a startled McGonagall as Rowan was thrust inside.

"Where did Ronald get to?" Was the first question McGonagall asked.

"Girl problems." Rowan answered truthfully, glaring out at the stands. McGonagall shook her head.

"Three years he's been doing that…depending on how well you do today, we might just have a new commentator. Now, the game's about to begin. I'll assist you if you need it, but please put the microphone _away _from your mouth before muttering something to me, I cannot tell you how many times commentators have had entire conversations cast about the stadium. If you wish you can call Lily back here, but she's probably halfway down the stands by now." Rowan stared at the microphone, her hands slippery with sweat.

"You're right…I'll…I'll just narrate."

Rowan had to admit, though her stomach was tying itself in complicated knots, that the Top Box had a spectacular view of the field below. She could see everything from up here-the tall, yellow goal posts silhouetted against the bland grey sky and the field, a bright green canvas despite the death of all the other surrounding grass outside. Madame Hooch, clearly visible with bright canary yellow robes, strode out onto the field in the middle of the opposing players. Smiling to herself, Rowan craned her neck to see James Potter fidgeting on his broom. He was so dedicated to his Quidditch…why didn't Lily give the boy a chance? She figured she might have.

It happened so quickly Rowan barely had time to lift the microphone to her lips.

"Annnnnnnnd they're off, Gryffindor in possession of the Quaffle first as the first match in our much anticipated Quidditch season begins!" She cried, her voice echoing around the stands. She smiled, imagining Lily seated with Alice (and unwillingly, with the Mauraders), all cheering for her. Commentating actually wasn't so bad…

"And it's Slytherin in possession. Oh! Quick swerve there from Abbott, a little too far to the left to be effective kid…Unbelievable! Vort swoops underneath Gryffindor Beater at the last second to avoid a Bludger attack, but Addams is too swift. A Bludger to the shoulder! Brutal, but that's how these games are played folks."

It was actually a pleasant experience, spending the game in the Top Box. Rowan called out each foul with perfect clarity, and only once mislead James Potter to the Slytherin end of the field in pursuit of the Snitch. Things were going well, until the last quarter of the game had Slytherins winning by no less than 50 points.  
"Come on now, Potter!" Rowan cried into her microphone, on the edge of her seat and surveying every inch of the field from her advantage point in Top Box. "The Snitch was RIGHT THERE, you've been going at this long enough to see that it was right under your nose!"

She screamed at James Potter, seizing fistfuls of curls from her head. "Come on, you CAN DO THIS!!"

As the game progressed the weather only worsened. The wind chill dropped so sharply that even in the warm Top Box, stuffed into an oversized green coat and three sweaters Rowan felt the chill and set the microphone down to rub her hands together, which were slowly turning a shade of pale blue. Out in the stands the students huddled together in large blocks of red or green for warmth, separating themselves even farther from their opposing teams and forcibly reminding Rowan of Christmas time. With half frozen hands Rowan lifted the microphone to her mouth.  
"And it's Slytherin in possession AGAIN. Come on lions, is this the best you can do? Put a little muscle into it, Beaters! I know it's cold but we've got to win this--Abbot steals the Quaffle, heading towards the Slytherin posts---"  
The crowd waited with bated breath, but Abbot didn't score. Instead, a cleverly aimed Bludger caught her midair and she twirled over, nearly loosing her seat on the broom. From below a collective sigh rose from the stands. The game was severely disappointing, and only a few faithful fans still lingered…but then Rowan's eyes caught sight of a golden glimmer down at the Gyffindor end the same time Potter's did. With the crowd erupting into frantic cheering and standing in their seats, James Potter zoomed towards the Snitch, low on his broom, his long arms stretching as he neared the fluttering ball.  
"And Potter's seen the Snitch, he's seen it!!" Rowan cried, jumping and clapping like a maniac as she shouted into the purple microphone. McGonagall was anticipating the win as well- she'd long lost her dignified manner, replacing it with giddy determination.  
"Come on Potter." She murmured under her breath, her ruby lips barely moving. "Come on….YES!!" And all formality was lost, as Potter caught the Snitch, the crowds went crazy, and Rowan found herself in a one armed hug with McGonagall, who had tossed her hat off in victory to reveal a tight black bun streaked with grey.  
"And Gryffindor take the win, Slytherins the gallant losers-what a match, and such a suspenseful catch for our one and only Jaaaaames Potter!" And Rowan laughed as James took a few victory laps around the pitch, waving to screaming Gryffindor fan girls. She watched his round of glory and was surprised at the feeling spreading through her chest-a warm, fuzzy sort of feeling she got whenever she saw Remus. Rowan pinched herself hard on her cold, grey skin. She could fall for James Potter, she must always remember that. It was key to her survival.  
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	4. Chapter 4

Always (without fail) after a match the Gryffindor girls gathered in their dorm to discuss the match. Nothing escaped the reviews-the false foul called, the Slytherin beater's targeting of the Gryffindor chaser, or (much to Lily's annoyance) the hotness of James Potter. It was this topic the team was debating now, all huddled together on Rowan's bed with a large supply of Honeyduke's best chocolate on hold specifically for the discussion. Celestina Warbeck's voice hummed softly from the radio in the corner, and outside fat, bright snowflakes swirled down from the sky like cotton, falling in light heaps at the windowsill.

"His arms are so toned." Alice Thewlis trilled, sighing meaningfully. Her bright doe like eyes sparkled in the warm torch light, and a number of girls joined in her swooning, some even going so far as to close their eyes and envision Potter's arms wrapped around them while soaring through evening sky on a broom. Lily was slumped against the wall between her and Rowan's beds, lazily fishing pickles from a large jar and ignoring the entire conversation. To her, to check out James Potter was little more than sin.

"And did you see that smile? A girl named Tabitha breathed, her eyes going distant at the thought. Alice giggled loudly.

"Mmmhhmm. How could I miss _that_?" She and Tabitha broke out into loud, girlish giggles again and Lily narrowed her eyes.

"Alice, you're practically dating Frank. What on earth are you doing checking out Potter?" She asked, fishing another pickle from the jar. "He's not even that good looking." She added, snapping off a piece. Alice's dainty mouth formed a perfect pink O as she gaped at Lily.

"Not even that good looking? Well, aren't you hard to please." She said, her nose in the air. Lily shrugged.

"Seems you're too easy." Alice opened her mouth to comment, but decided against arguing and instead took a square of Coconut Ice from Rowan.

"And just because I'm seeing Longbottom doesn't mean I can't look Lily. I'm only human." Lily snorted.

"I'll bet Frank says the same thing when people catch him eyeing Marlene McKinnon." She said airily, grinning at Alice. Alice made a low growling noise under her breath.

"Come on girls." Tabitha said, crossing her legs at the end of the bed. "Let's not fight. It ruins the imaging." And with that she closed her eyes and smiled dreamily, no doubt imaging Potter in his knickers. That was Tabitha.

"Oh, barf." Lily said. "Can we stop hero-worshipping James and get on with discussing that foul called against Mary?" Tabitha, who had been humming softly, snapped upright, a wild gleam in her blue eyes.

"You called him James! Oooh, Liiiilly." She cried, nudging her in the hip. Lily gave her a disgusted look and seated herself on the edge of her bed, crossing her arms and legs.

"That doesn't mean a thing. It's his proper name, after all." Tabitha smirked.

"Mmmhhm. Then what's Potter, a loving nickname?" Lily flushed a bright scarlet from her cheeks to collar and, with as much strength as she could muster, tossed a bright red pillow at Tabitha, where it hit her square in the face. Tabitha pried the pillow off her face, and looked momentarily shocked before tossing the pillow back at Lily, seeing her bright face and yelling, "Hey! Lily likes James! Lily likes James!!" Alice appeared over Tabitha's shoulder, her eyes wide.

"Merlin's pants, she _does _like him! Look at those cheeks, that's not blush!!" Tabitha and Alice looked at each other, identical wide grins on their round faces. "Oooooooooh." They chimed together, advancing towards Lily, where they linked arms and chorused together in singsong voices- "Lily and James, sittin' in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes maaaaariage, then comes baby in the **baby carriage!!"** They cried, pounding out the last words in obnoxiously loud voices. Rowan couldn't help but laugh as a frustrated Lily curled up in her bed and wrenched the curtains around herself so tight they puckered at the edge. All that was visible for the rest of the night was a faint outline of a tall girl in the fetal position, wishing her room mates away.


	5. Chapter 5

"So how long have you liked him?" Rowan asked, as she and Lily walked briskly through the snowy streets of Hogsmeade for a little Christmas shopping. Lily's flame red hair shielded her face, and she said, in a sharp hiss without even looking at Rowan, "Rowan Watkins, I told you not to bring that up. Especially not here. Good lord…especially not here." And she cast a worried glance over her shoulder, as if James Potter could pop out of the snow any second and yell "Surprise Lily!". Rowan snickered as the image played in her mind's eye, the day dream Lily whacking him over his "inflated, pompous" head with a shovel she unearthed from the giant bag she always carried around. 'That's probably what's in there after all.' Rowan thought to herself, smiling at the weight of the purple bag. Lily looked at her.

"What are you smirking about?" She asked darkly, glowering menacingly at the passerbys, who shrunk away from her with their shopping. One mother even went so far as to move her children to the opposite side of the street, and Rowan laughed as the lady hurried her daughters off, throwing glances back at Lily.

"Geez Lily, what'd you do to that lady?" She chortled, growing solemn at the stone cold look on Lily's face. "Sorry." Lily narrowed her eyes, stomping through the snow towards Zoko's. Rowan followed, still smiling a little to herself. When Lily was in a rage she let the whole world know. In their fifth year she'd gotten so upset at Severus that she hexed him twelve times in the Charms corridor and refused to accept any punishment from McGonagall or Dumbledore, saying "the slimy git deserved what he got." and stomping around in fury for two days. Extreme, yes, but that was Lily in a mood and today Rowan was on thin ice.

"Let's get into Zonko's, my hands are frozen." Lily said, shivering as she pushed past a group of carolers towards the shop, upsetting their song papers. Rowan offered an apologetic smile and a "Happy Christmas" as she slipped by them, though this thoughtfulness was wasted when she trampled one of the youngest's song books, reducing him to tears.

"Nice job Rowan. Make a kid cry." Lily said acidly. She'd been waiting for Rowan outside the shop, and her eagle eyes had seen everything. Rowan bit her lip, forcing down her temper. She couldn't get mad at Lily. Not here, not now…besides, she didn't have a chance against her in a mood anyway. No one did…especially James Potter, Lily's favorite mood target.

"Well I tried being nice, and it backfired. Can we get inside now? I can't feel my legs."

"Me either." Lily said, adjusting her beret. "Because of you." She ducked into the shop and Rowan followed, raising her wand like a knife above Lily's head and stopping at the scared look on one little boy's face. She offered him a kind smile but the damage was done-wide eyed, he bolted across the store to hide in his father's robes. What was with Rowan and children today?

"We need to find some things for the prank." Lily muttered, mostly to herself, as she began to pull things off the shelf at random. The owner was watching her curiously from the register as she demolished a display of Darkness Powders, but she didn't seem to notice--or care, by the way she tossed things aside and raised her brows at battered boxes of enchanted chirping crickets.

"How do some of these things even sell?" She asked, holding up a fake rubber chicken, it's head lolling to the side unpleasantly. Rowan smiled, removing her hat. She'd long replaced the nasty green one of the Quidditch match for a light purple beret like Lily's.

"I don't know, I kinda like it. How much?" Lily just sighed as Rowan began to examine the featherless bird, giving it a squeeze, where it made a sound like air being let out a balloon.

"Brilliant!" Rowan cried, but Lily didn't even crack a smile. What a fun day it was turning out to be.

Despite Lily's best efforts to ruin the trip entirely, Rowan's spirits couldn't help but be lifted upon walking into Zonko's. Ever since she was a child it had been her favorite shop, with her tugging at her mother every time she took her along on shopping trips and begging to stay awhile. She loved the bright yellow wallpaper, striking contrast against the high, jet black metal shelves stocked to the ceiling with every sort of joke item you could think of. Joke wands were sold for 10 knuts a piece in a large, cauldron shaped bin by the doorway and Lily was currently looking at more Darkness Powders. The powders almost disappeared against their black shelves, looking dangerous in black, potbelly tins with loopy, spidery cursive bearing the product name. Everywhere Rowan looked there was some new item to be discovered, and the excited chatter of children rang out throughout the store as the cashiers pounded on the registers, causing them to click open with a merry DING!

Rowan smiled to herself, making her way through tightly packed aisle ways of Nose Biting Teacups and Joke Sweets. She was examining a bright display of Wet Start, No Heat Filibuster Fireworks when a familiar head of untidy black hair caught her eye.

"Potter?"

The boy jumped, then turned to face Rowan with a wide grin. His hazel eyes shone behind his thick frames, and Rowan felt a sudden flurry of butterflies that were unfortunately hard to ignore.

"Didn't expect to run into you here." He said smoothly, running his fingers through the back of his already untidy hair. Rowan bit her lip, looking up at him shyly.

"Didn't think I'd see myself in here either…" She said, jerking her head in the direction of Lily, who was studying a Grow Your Own Warts kit. "Lily's in a mood." James stood on tiptoe to get a better look at his beloved, towering over Rowan. She leaned forward slightly, catching a sharp, woodsy scent coming from his robes. So James Potter wore cologne. Well, that wasn't a big deal, lots of guys did…Rowan tried to tell herself. She even swore she'd smelled it somewhere before, on someone with a lot of shaggy black hair, but on James it was more powerful. It smelled better, somehow…Rowan shook her head, hoping to clear it of the thoughts jumbled around inside. She couldn't be thinking about James Potter this way. Especially not when he--

"I see you've noticed my cologne."

Woah, Rowan-back to earth. Embarrassed that she'd been caught sniffing (good lord, of all things) James Potter, Rowan pretended to be very interested in the Fireworks, marveling at all the different colors and styles. Thank god Lily had been watching.

"James Potter, you snake!" She cried, stumbling over a group of excited third years in her determination to meet her prey. James gulped.

"Uh oh."

For the poor boy knew, along with everyone else in the store, that Lily Evans was in one of her moods and needed to take her anger out on someone…and that someone had been found.

"Making sure we don't buy anything too dangerous, eh Potter?" She hissed, poking him roughly in the chest. James winced, taking her hand by the wrist and prying it away from him.

"No. Can't a man spend a day in Hogsmeade without anyone threatening to cut his bloody head off?" He'd swam into dangerous waters. Lily's cheeks flushed a bright red and when she spoke her lips barely moved.

"You know perfectly well that you're not just shopping. You were hoping to get a head start in that prank we're battling to pull. Weren't you?" She squeaked, her voice struggling to contain its forced calm. James's eyes moved from Lily's to the floor, where he dug into the bright carpet with the toe of his boots shamefully. Lily placed her hands on her hips.

"Well, I was right. The cat's out of the bag now Rowan. If he's going to play dirty, then hell-we will too." And suddenly she was scooping up everything in sight, her arms loading with oddly shaped boxes and whirling items. She looked at Rowan.

"Well, what are you just standing around for? Buy things!" And on that order Rowan gave James one sorry look, then began to scoop up boxes of Wet Start, No Heat Fireworks at rapid speed.

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"We're behind."

That was the first thing Lily said the next morning, as she lounged in the window seat with a long Quill and a piece of parchment that wound its way to the floor. Rowan was busy by a small circular table, staring at the mass of tiny objects whizzing, flashing, or chirping that Lily had bought the day before. She was supposed to be taking inventory, but honestly couldn't tell where to start, as Lily had bought so many of the same objects she had trouble counting them all and some items were enchanted to move and fly. Earlier that morning Alice had awoken to find one of the Teacups that had freed itself from the bag attached to her nose, and it had taken a full ten minutes to pry off.

"So we got a late start. We only made the deal a month ago, how far could they have gotten?" The look on Lily's face was all that Rowan needed. With a sinking feeling she went back to attempting to take inventory. James and his band of merry men had probably already bought and planned something intricate in the hours after their little hallway meeting…and, if they did, there was almost no catching up. Like James had said-"The Mauraders don't dissapoint."

"We need something unique." Alice said, lounging on Lily's bed and sucking dreamily on a bright orange Sugar Quill. "Something that's not remotely like anything those boys have ever done before." Rowan nodded.

"I agree with you on that one, madam, but that's the problem. What _haven't _they done before?" It was a valid question. The room was silent as everyone mused, the clock on the wall ticking slowly. The pairs of blank eyes that met Rowan's told her all she needed to know-they all had nothing. James had done everything imaginable to this school, which left the girls fresh out of ideas.

"I've got nothing." Lily said glumly, making a mark on her parchment. The girls sat in silence for a few moments, and Rowan went back to taking inventory. Just as she was about to scribble down a box of Filibusters it hit her.

"Fireworks." She whispered, her face splitting into a wide grin. "They've never done fireworks."

Alice's eyes widened and she leapt off the bed, trapping Rowan in a fierce bear hug and squeezing her tight.

"Oh, you're so right! They have never done fireworks. Rowan, you're a genius! A genius…and we've got ten boxes right here!" She squealed and snatched the list from Rowan.

"One, two, three, four…yep, ten, right here!" She turned and smiled at Rowan. "Do you know how big this is? Fireworks beat out anything those guys have done before!!"

Rowan laughed. Alice's childish excitement was infectious.

"Yea, it's like Christmas came early or something." She said slyly. Alice gave her a playful swat.

"Shut it, you. This is a breakthrough! Lily?"

Lily didn't answer. She was studying her list intently, her brow furrowed and her hair falling in thick bunches in front of her eyes. After a few seconds she looked up at Alice, her emerald eyes shining.

"You know, I think that just might be crazy enough to work. What kind do you want to use though? That company's got only fifty different types." Rowan took the parchment from Lily and spread it out on the table, making a little spot for it amongst the various joke products.

"I think before deciding that we need a plan first. Lily? Care to draw?"

Soon they were all seated around the little table, looking at a bright green, squiggly line that Lily was labeling 'Castle'.

"Now, I think our best position would be--yes, Rowan?" She asked sweetly, for Rowan had raised her hand into the air and was waiting patiently to be called upon.

"Yes, Lily…what is that?" She asked, as Alice giggled. Lily scowled.

"It's the castle, you dolt. If you think you can do better be my guest." She held out the Quill to Rowan, who shook her curls.

"No, no. I know that one of these days you're going to join the ranks of the greatest artists of our time Lily, but that might be awhile." Lily gave her a look, but a smile tugged at the corners of her red lips.

"Okay, okay. I'll fix it later. But we still need to find out what type of fireworks we should use…Rowan, again?"

"I propose Filibusters. They make quite a delightful spark and the most wonderful sizzling noise." Lily gave an appreciative laugh and scribbled it down in her neat handwriting in the margin of the parchment. Alice had unearthed a huge box of Chocolate Frogs from somewhere and was now handing them out around the table. Comfortable with chocolate and snow falling gently outside, the girls bent their heads low over the parchment and began to plan.

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	6. Chapter 6

The following Monday found Rowan lounging outside with Sirius and Remus, unwinding with a much needed snowball fight after completing three rolls of parchment for McGonagall to be turned in the following day. Rowan had caught Sirius in the chest with a well aimed snowball, and he was in mid throw when he stiffened suddenly, the snowball falling to his side. A wide, evil grin curved his fine features upward, and he jerked his head sideways.

"Hey Rowan-look who joined us." And there he was. Severus Snape, his greasy black hair hanging down to his shoulders in long strings, his hook nose protruding about an inch from that mess and his robes several inches too short in the ankle. He was slouching off towards the Lake, a giant, morocco bound book in hand, his wand protectively clutched in the other and pressed against his chest. Ever since James had disarmed him in fifth year, he'd gone to carrying it like a newborn child. Remus, who had been lying in the snow from an attack by Sirius, raised himself up and moved towards Sirius, his tawny eyes daring him to make a move. He never joined in when the boys tortured Snivellus, but then again he was the kindest of the group. Rowan looked towards Sirius and winked, and the two headed off towards the edge of the Lake intently, eyes set on Severus. He positioned himself as far away as he could get from the merry ice skaters on the Lake, and had settled under a twisted dead tree that hung limply over him, branches heavy with frost. Rowan watched as he pulled out the giant book from under his arm, opening it up slowly and pulling a rather bent Quill from the inside of his robes. Sirius snatched Rowan's wrist and pulled her behind a thick pine, where the two had a perfect view of the boy through a small hole in the vegetation. Snivellus shot the laughing skaters a bitter look, then began to scribble furiously in the large book, his hooked nose so close to the parchment it was centimeters away from touching it.

"Someone should get that boy some glasses." Rowan muttered, watching in disgust as Snape tossed his slimy hair from his eyes and lowered himself even closer to the parchment. Sirius chuckled and Snape's head turned so fast he rubbed his neck in pain, wand pointed towards the tree. Rowan quickly stuck her hand over Sirius's mouth to keep him from laughing at the snarling expression on Snapes pallid face, but Snivelly didn't seem to find anything out of place. His eyes lingered on the tree a second longer, then he hastily turned back to his book, scribbling even faster. Sirius's eyes gleamed maliciously as he turned to Rowan. "Is that…a _diary_?" He asked, sniggering. Rowan laughed, quickly stifling herself as Snape looked around again, wand aloft. "It certainly looks it, doesn't it?" She whispered.

Sirius placed a finger to his lips and snuck to the edge of the tree, parting it slightly to create a jagged hole where Snape was just visible. "I think it's time for an intervention." He whispered, his eyes gleaming. And with that, he strode into the bright sunlight, a wide grin on his face and his hands stuffed into his pockets, straightening his back as he went. Taking one last look at Snape through the hole, Rowan tossed her hair over her shoulder and followed.

It took a few moments for Snape to realize he had visitors. Sirius was about a foot away from him when his foot snapped a small twig, and the secretive Snivellus instantly whirled around, wand at the ready. His lips curled into a nasty sneer as his eyes locked with his enemies' and he bolted upright, snapping his leather book shut and dropping it onto the ground. "Keep away from me, you!" He snarled, jabbing his wand in Sirius's direction. Sirius smirked over his shoulder, then raised both his hands in mock surrender.

"Whoa, whoa, _whoa_, Snivellus!" He taunted, smiling. "No need to draw wands, Rowan and I were merely taking a stroll around the Lake." Snape's cold eyes darted towards Rowan, who stepped beside Sirius, hands on hips.

"A lovely. early winter stroll…which, I'd like to say, we are perfectly free to do." Sirius winked and Snape raised his wand a little higher, leaning down to retrieve his book, eyes all the while still focused on Sirius, cold and threatening as always.

"Don't come near me." He said, his voice shaking with hatred. Sirius took a small step forward and Snape's eyes bulged. "I said don't come near me!" He cried rather hysterically. Rowan looked towards Sirius, and their eyes met. He winked and Rowan winked back, knowing what he had planned. Snape did not miss the exchange. He'd seen James trade this exact look with Sirius for far too long not to recognize it.

"Flipendo!!" He shrieked, pointing his wand at Sirius. The jinx soared towards Sirius who, not having his wand at the ready, flew backwards and hit the ground with a large thud.

"Sirius!" Rowan cried, rushing towards him. He took the hand she offered him and sat up, dusting off his robes, his face a light shade of red, contorted with rage. His elegant hair fell into his eyes and he didn't even bother to shake it out as he staggered towards Snape, wand drawn.

"You…Snivellus. You disgusting little…" Snape's lip curled, his eyes daring Sirius to continue-which he did, with all happiness. "Coward." Sirius spat, pointing his wand at Snape. At this word Snape's face turned a blotchy, bright red, his eyes bulged in their sockets and his lips curled upwards into a threatening snarl.

"Don't…" He sputtered deeply, his lips barely even forming the words, "Call me…a COWARD!!" He raised his wand, but someone else was quicker. A tall, messy haired, bespectacled someone.

"Levicorpus!" At the word Snape was instantly hoisted upward, dangling above the ground in midair. His wand fell from his hand, along with his precious book, into the high grass below.

"Thought you'd like to join us, Potter!" Rowan cried. They were saved. James Potter was not about to let Severus get away with anything…and it showed. James face was as red as Snape's, his hazel eyes slits beneath his glasses, devoid of their usual merry sparkle. He was grinning, too. Grinning in a rather nasty, angry sort of way, his lips twitching at the sides as though the smile was physically hurting him.

"You think that you can get away with jinxing Sirius Black, eh Snivellus?" He growled, moving to stand under Snape. He looked up at him, and between the two one could see the hatred etched deep as lines into their faces. "You think that you, a lowly little Death Eater hopeful, can possibly compare to a wizard of the likes of Sirius Black?" He sneered, thrusting his wand up at Snape. "Do you?!"

Snape wriggled in the air for a moment, trapped as though by invisible bonds, then stopped and glared at Potter. "You twit." He hissed, and he spat on Potter's shoes. "James!"

It was Lily. She must have heard the commotion from the lake with Alice, but James, for once, did not seem to notice her. The smile curved downward into a menacing frown, and he took one look at Snape and wiped his shoe in the deep snow. Everyone around the Lake was now watching with bated breath, watching the story unfold with anxious eyes. Frank Longbottom was watching with his mouth open, not even paying attention to where he was going, and skated off the ice into a large snow bank. Nobody knew quite what James Potter would do… but, knowing him, it couldn't be anything good. There was a sharp cracking sound and suddenly Snape was soaring into the Lake, tumbling through the air as if on strings. He landed with a loud splash, the ice breaking away to make room for him in the icy water. James blew onto his wand and stuffed it back into his pocket, like a gun in an old western sling belt, and gave a nod to his cheering fan girls. It was too much for Lily. Hair flying behind her, she ran towards Snape, who at the moment was thrashing about in the middle of the lake. He was bobbing up and down in the deep water, struggling to stay afloat, gasping and flapping his long, bat like arms.

"That's what you get when you mess with the Marauders, Snivelly!" James cried heartily as Snape made it back onto the shore, spluttering and tossing his stringy hair out of his eyes. James grinned at Sirius before turning and walking casually back to the castle, humming as he went. Sirius ran after him and the two began to mimic Snape's fall, arms waving wildly as they laughed together. Lily simply stood there, staring at Snape with a rather strange expression on her face. It was a mixture of pity and anger, her eyes hard but with a certain softness to them around the edges as she moved towards Snape.

"Lils?"

Lily whirled around, the softness gone like a light from her eyes. Her nostrils flared and her cheeks burned a delicate pink, shining from the soft snow..

"WHAT?!" She roared, causing Rowan to take several steps back in alarm and stumble over Snivelly's book. "Don't you have anything to say for yourself?" she gestured angrily towards Snape, who now was picking up his book and quill, dripping water over everything. "For _this_?" And suddenly Rowan's temper got the best of her.

"Yea, I do." She said acidly, giving Lily a disgusted look and turning towards the castle, "That boy could do with a few more baths."


	7. Chapter 7

Word had gotten around the next morning about James Potter's latest attack on Snape, and stories of how he'd dunked him into the Lake were spreading like wildfire. Even Lily found the story amusing once she'd cooled down a bit, though she flat out refused to laugh about it in front of James.

"If he knew I thought it was funny, he'd do it 100 times over." Lily explained to Rowan on their way to breakfast. "And even though Severus and I are no longer friends, it still feels wrong to give people permission to pick on him like that."

Winter was quickly taking it's toll on Hogwarts and the surrounding landscapes, and the following morning everyone awakened to about two feet of new snow piled outside on the dormitory window and the Hogsmeade trip canceled for that day. Sadly this meant Lily and Rowan couldn't purchase any more joke items, but they weren't exactly complaining. Saturdays were always the worst days to waste, but it seemed as though everyone in the castle was in an incredibly warm, lazy mood, even the teachers. McGonagall didn't even bother to tell off Rowan as she and Sirius skidded down the corridors after James in a completely immature game of tag, but instead merely cautioned them to slow down instead of writing three detentions. Peeves blew wet raspberries as usual but even he stopped when asked, which was very uncharacteristic of the poltergeist. By the time darkness settled over Hogwarts, Rowan thought the atmosphere would be perfect to discuss the newest matchmaking plan with James.

"Are we up for another painful year of matchmaking, James?" She asked, cornering him that night in a deserted section of the library. James's eyes shone beneath his glasses.

"When am I never up for a little romance? Where's the pen, sign me up!"

"Okay, okay," Rowan giggled, dropping her bag to the floor and seating herself on a long wooden table. "I've got a few new plans for you, and I even went so far as to draw them out in red ink. Just for you Potter." She winked.

James rubbed his hands together excitedly. "Excellent. You have the papers, I assume?" Rowan fished them out of her bag, waving them in front of his face. With his Seeker reflexes he snatched the papers right out from under her nose, moving them to a dim oil light where his eyes skated over the pages greedily. After a few minutes he looked up at Rowan, his eyes wide.

"Rowan…" He whispered excitedly, his eyes flashing from the paper to her and back again, "These are epic!" Rowan smiled.

"I try."

James was beside himself.

"I swear, Watkins, it would be a real scummy thing to do since I'm after your friend but I could kiss you right now, these are amazing!" Rowan blushed as James stuffed the papers into his bag, carefully folding them into the tiniest pocket. Sirius was always stealing things from James's bag, and the last thing he needed to see was these romantic game plans from Rowan Watkins.

"Glad you like them." She muttered, trying to set herself straight. Why did she always have to be like this around him? It just wasn't fair. Wasn't fair that he didn't even notice her flustered cheeks as he bade her goodnight, didn't have eyes for anyone but Lily Evans…

Rowan slung her bag over her shoulders and stomped out of the library, knocking a few first years out of the way in her hurry. Stupid, perfect, emerald eyed Lily Evans with her long red hair. She didn't even like the boy, and yet he fawned over her every chance he got. Rowan came to a huffy stop in front of the Fat Lady.

"Nymphs." She said sulkily, crossing her arms. The Fat Lady looked at her.

"Now what's got your knickers in a twist?" She asked loudly, causing several nearby boys to snicker loudly. Rowan shot them a glare and tossed her curls out of her eyes.

"None of your business. Nymphs." But the Fat Lady wasn't going to give up that easily.

"Oh come on, you can tell me. Who've I got to spread the secret too, I'm a portrait for heavens sakes!" Rowan rolled her eyes, impatient with the questioning.

"Oh, I don't know, how about every bloody Gryffindor that has to pass you every night? You just might decide to slip something to them!" The Fat Lady narrowed her eyes and swung forward on her hinges to admit Rowan, but just as she was halfway through swung herself shut, sending Rowan flying backward into the heavy stone banisters.

"THat'll teach you to sass off to me, Missy!" She chortled, her chins wobbling in her frame. "I may be a portrait but I still have feelings!" Rowan brushed dust off her skirt, trying to ignore the burning in her face as the group of boys laughed openly at her expense. On her way through the portrait hole she stopped, and turned to face the Fat Lady.

"Just so you know, I have easy access to the kitchens, and last time I was in there, there was a very nice, _very sharp _set of cutlery that would be perfect for ripping something soft, like canvas, for example, to shreds." The Fat Lady gasped as Rowan's frown spread upward into a twisted, evil grin.

"You wouldn't dare!" She shrieked, raising a hand over her mouth. Rowan stumbled through the portrait hole, her temper flaring.

"You have no idea what I would and would never do."

*****************************************************************

That night Rowan didn't feel like talking to Lily…or anyone else in the dorm, for that matter. After Lily had failed in asking Rowan to join three games of Exploding Snap she gave up trying and instead of persuading her to join (or forcing, as she normally would have done) gave her a sorry look and allowed her to sulk in her bed, curtains tightly closed. Long after the lights had gone out Rowan slipped out of bed and into her slippers, quietly taking the purple pump from under Lily's bed and propping it between the door. Shivering, she wrapped her robe tight and set one foot on the cold tile, gasping a little at the sharp coldness through her sock. Cautiously, she padded down the stairs, stopping to pause at a creak or crackle of the burning Common Room fire. She didn't quite know where she was going. All she knew was that James and his boys were probably out late tonight, and she was keen to find them.

The Fat Lady yawned, licking spittle off her crimson lips when Rowan roused her from her deep sleep, but thankfully she didn't catch a glimpse of her as she slipped into the corridor. The Fat Lady swung shut with a defining click and Rowan was alone…again.

In no time at all she found herself heading towards the kitchens, keen on slipping one of those long knives in the pocket of her robe and heading back upstairs, but she decided against it last minute and instead roamed the hall. The flickering torches cast eerie, shadowy shapes that swayed and darted against the cobbled walls, and from a tall window she could see a black, empty stretch of canvas, upon which fresh flakes of snow fell. I was peaceful, in a strange sort of way, and Rowan curled up in a corner by the window, leaning her head against the wall. She closed her eyes, listening to the still silence, and smiled. She was insane, sitting here on the floor in the dark, enjoying the solitude. All she needed was to rock slightly and have some poor soul stumble upon her to be admitted to St. Mungos. Her curls, weather tossed and stringy with December sleet, hung about her face and her hands were ice cold. Ignoring her bodies plea for warmth she stuffed them into the pockets of her robe and ambled down the hall a little farther, letting the light of the full moon guide her way. She wondered where the boys were on this starry night. Probably nicking food from the kitchens. Rowan imagined the elves swarming around them, thrusting biscuits and chicken legs into Sirius's outstretched palms. If left alone at mealtime that boy could probably devour all the plates on the Gryffindor table in record time, then belch, annouce he was still hungry, and shovel down Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs next. He wouldn't dare touch the Slytherins food, declaring it "contaminated and therefore unsafe for consumption." That was just the nature of Sirius Black. And people thought he was such a charmer… Rowan chuckled softly in the darkness. Well, she had news for them.

"Who's there?"

It was Filch. Carrying a lantern and bobbing slowly down the hall, with ever faithful Mrs. Norris on his heels, he stopped in his tracks, his cat doing the same, and listened. Rowan slipped down another corridor, peering around it's stone wall to keep a watchful eye on the enemy.

"Eh? Could'a sworn I heart summin', my sweet…" He mumbled to his cat, scratching his oily head. "Sounds like a wee student out of bed to me. Come, the moon's still bright. If we 'eard them this close, they can't be far…when its light they can only hide so many places." The sounds of his loafers echoed around the halls, and Rowan was thankful she'd listened to her instincts and worn socks as the light of Filch's lantern cast a light glow around the corner of her corridor and she broke into a run. She didn't stop until she saw a large oak door at the end of the hall and she skidded inside, her fingers shaking and clumsy as she rummaged around her pockets for her wand.

"Alohomora!"

With a soft click the door locked and Rowan fell against it, resting her head on her knees. How long could she keep doing things like this? With Filch weezing outside it would be three in the morning before she even got to the portrait hole, and when she didn't wake up the next morning for lessons what would Lily do? She'd have to be trapped in Potions with James Potter all by herself. At this thought Rowan envisioned them cuddling over a simmering love potion, inhaling deeply while staring into the other's eyes. Well, if that's what would happen, let it. Lily had proved herself on more than one occasion-if Rowan missed Potions Lily could handle it. She wiped sweat from her brow, turning to sit in a vacant desk when he spoke.

"Rowan?!"

Rowan jumped so high she believed someone unseen had to have muttered Levicorpus behind her back. She came back down (painfully) to the small wooden seat then slid off it in shock and onto the cold floor. He moved closer.

"Are you alright?"

"Yea…." Rowan muttered, dusting herself off and taking Sirius's hand, "Just…. Frightened me a little." Sirius let out his sharp, bark like laugh.

"Evidently. What are you doing out this late?" Rowan raised a brow at him.

"What are _you _doing out this late?" He shrugged, smirking slightly.

"Touche. I'll tell you what I was up to if you tell me what you were doing."

"Not on my life Black." Rowan said, moving to stand by the window. "I'd sooner swap my wand with a goblin than tell you what I was doing out of bed."

"Such harsh words, Rowan." He said, moving to stand beside her. "There's no need for such anger." He placed his hands in the pockets of his robes and bobbed a little on his heels for a minute before turning to Rowan and saying, quite conversationally, "The moon's bright tonight." Rowan crossed her arms. What had started out as a pleasant night had taken a turn for the worst.

"Yea, I guess." She answered, staring out at the sky. Black smiled.

"Hope James and the gang are having fun." This caught Rowan's attention.

"What?"

Sirius's onyx eyes went wide and he looked away from her, realizing he'd said something wrong.

"Nothing…it's…nothing." He said, his voice faltering.

"Why aren't you with them?" Rowan asked, leaning against the windowsill. Sirius Black was almost never seen without James Potter. If you came across one you came across the other, it had been that way ever since first year and wasn't about to change anytime soon. After a moment of silence, during which Sirius pondered her question, he deemed it safe to answer.

"I had some work to do…detention, see." He said, noticing the confused look on Rowan's face. She laughed.

"That makes sense. Isn't detention the only time you do _any _work?" Sirius laughed, his black hair falling into delicate spirals around his eyes.

"Right on that one, Watkins." He admitted, snatching a piece of parchment from a nearby desk and lazily transforming it into a paper airplane. He leaned back on the windowsill and offered it to Rowan, who took it and aimed for the dustbin on the other side of the room. They both watched it glide through the air, where it landed just a little outside the bin.

"Nice one." Sirius said, snickering. Rowan smiled.

"Why're you spending your night in the Charms classroom?" She called across the room as she retrieved the plane and handed it back to Sirius, who tossed it towards the desk.

"Just strolling…" He said, taking the crumpled plane from the floor and making it glide back to Rowan, who caught it. "Almost got into a scrape with Filch like you did."

Rowan tossed the airplane towards the bin again-it missed.

"He's patrolling this corridor? Why?" Sirius smirked mischievously.

"Well, let's just say he had a tip off from a certain red haired someone that a few rule breaking prats would be up to something on this very floor." He tossed the plane at Rowan's target, and it soared with perfect precision into the dustbin. Rowan scowled.

"James was stupid enough to tell Lily where we were preparing our prank, so you can guess how that played out."

"Yea, I can." Rowan said darkly. "The little snitch went straight to McGonagall like a good little girl, didn't she?" Sirius laughed.

"Easy there, Watkins." He chortled, crumpling the plane in his hands. "Isn't this girl, you know, your best friend?"


	8. Chapter 8

Rowan laughed.

"Yea, yea. Can't a girl get a little frustrated sometimes?" Sirius was silent for a moment, as though pondering the question. His onyx eyes flashed over Rowan and the corners of his mouth turned into a mischievous smirk as he moved closer to her. Rowan shivered in her thin gown, though not from cold.

"Of course…" He said, sliding his arm around her shoulders, "But Sirius Black is here to help." Rowan looked at him.

"Black, what did I tell you about--" But before the last words escaped from her lips he had leaned over and silenced her with a kiss, one of his strong hands on her back and the other entangled in her long, bright curls. It took a moment for the situation to truly sink in, but once it did, Rowan wasted no time in reacting.

"Umpf!" Sirius doubled over, crouched on the stone floor like a child, whimpering in pain. Rowan had taken advantage of this vulnerable time and though she felt guilty for kicking him there, retreated to the farthest corner of the classroom and sat upon a creaky desk. She waited until he had regained control, using the window ledge to support himself, to smirk at him. Slowly he turned around to face her, his sleek hair falling into his eyes.

"Rowan!" He cried, panting slightly, "I….didn't think you had it in you!" Rowan shrugged.

"You came after me. What was I supposed to do?" Sirius groaned, standing straight then deciding it was too much and slumping over again.

"I don't know…enjoy it?" Rowan rolled her eyes.

"Please." They were silent for a few moments as Sirius straightened himself out, then he rose to his full height and murmured, "I'm serious…"

And he began to move towards Rowan.

"Don't you dare try again!" She cried, darting behind a desk and waving her wand frantically in his face. "I swear I'll hex you with this then use it to gouge out your eyes, Sirius Black!" But Sirius wasn't listening. With one lazy flick he skillfully disarmed her, catching her wand in his free hand and pocketing it next to his.

"Oh really?" He said smoothly, leaning on the desk Rowan now cowered behind. "Without a wand?" Rowan fumed.

"Alright, what are you going to make me do to get it back? I would have thought after I just attacked you this wouldn't be happening. I mean, come on, can't you see I like someone else? Oh but…" Her voice trailed off as she realized he wasn't listening.

"Rowan, you'll never get it." He said, leaning in closer, "Fighting back made you all the more attractive. Men always want what they cant have…" He strolled around the table to Rowan, taking a long orange curl between his fingers and letting it spring back into place.

"And you," He said, leaning low to whisper in her ear, "Are exactly that."

He was behind her now, and Rowan gasped as he placed his hands around her waist and rested his chin on her head, sighing heavily. Rowan's mind was a mile a minute, her thoughts racing, tumbling over the other.

'_Fight or flight….wand's in his pocket…could reach it right now…but then he'd notice…damn…damn,damn,damn,damn,DAMN…it does not help he smells like James Potter…what if I seduced him? Two can play at this game…though ew, come on….'_

"Rowan…." Sirius said, his voice low and inviting, "Come on now, don't be like this…" Rowan closed her eyes tight, stiffening her whole body so as not to invite him further. He didn't get it.

"You keep avoiding me, how is that fair?" He asked, his voice right in her ear. "I can't help myself. I mean, come on…just look at you. _Look_ at you." Rowan half smiled at the thought of what Lily would say to this last comment. Something about male chauvinist pigs, no doubt…or that looks can be deceiving. Thinking of Lily made Lily think of James Potter. And thinking of James Potter made Rowan think of what Lily would do if James had lost his marbles and dared put her into this situation-and that gave her an idea.

"Sirius Black, give your filthy hands off me." She growled. Like Sirius she kept her voice low, but unlike Black, hers contained none of his warmth. Sirius didn't move.

"Sirius Black, I told you to get your filthy hands off me." She hissed, this time more loudly. He still did not move. By now, Rowan was beginning to worry. Her tone had clearly meat "get the hell away from me or so help me Merlin", and yet his arms were still wrapped around her waist…and, good lord, was it possible she was enjoying it? Rowan waited a minute, allowing herself to relax in his arms. Sure, it was a lot warmer, but something…something just didn't seem right. Here she was, in the arms of Hogwart's most desirable bachelor, and wishing she could wriggle free. She had a definite screw loose, that was for sure. But the more Rowan pondered, the more time she was giving Sirius's hand to sneak down the back of her gown. More time to be kissed again by a man she had no connection with. Friends wise, yes…but lovers? Oh hell no.

"Sirius---" She said again, louder this time.

"Mm?" He said, the hand on her waist trailing down to her thigh. Rowan froze. This was too much…too soon…alarm bells began to ring in her head. She didn't know what to do. She wished Lily was here, to kick Black's arse. She'd know what to do, she always did. Without Lily, Rowan realized, she'd lost her best defense. Damn.

"You haven't resisted." Black said, smiling. His warm breath flowed around her ear, and Rowan shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, you've…kinda got me pinned here." His grip tightened.

"That's my intention." And he spun her around so that she faced him, and that was when Rowan did it.

Snatching her wand from his pocket she raised it to his eyes and poked him, a sharp jab in each pupil. Black doubled over in pain again, clutching at his face in agony. Stumbling over the desk leg Rowan moved to the other side of the table and yelled, with all her might, "_Petrificus Totalis!" _Black's arms went rigid and he fell on his back to the floor, his onyx eyes shimmering lifelessly. Realizing now she was safe, Rowan strolled over to Black and twirled her wand in her fingertips above him, smirking.

"That's what you get when you try and tangle with Rowan Watkins." She said, tucking her wand back into her pocket with a satisfied little laugh and heading for the door. She paused, hand on the handle, and looked back at Sirius, alone on the stone floor.

"Don't look at me like that," She said, "I know it's cold. But the good thing is if it gets too bad, you can use that tent you've pitched. Good night."

And with a quick flick of her wand, all the torches were extinguished and she slipped out into the corridor.


	9. Chapter 9

"Did you hear?"

"_Sirius_ Black, lying on the floor of the Charms room!"

"First floor! Petrified, by the looks of it."

"No, he won't say who did it to him! McGonagall found him this morning after he didn't come to breakfast."

It was the talk of the school the next morning, and Rowan couldn't help but give Lily a play by play of the night's events in Potions the following afternoon. Having finished their potion early (all thanks to Lily and her battered book) and taking advantage of the benefits Slughorn gave Lily for being a favorite student, the girls reclined in their hard backed chairs and laughed loudly together without worry as the students around them dropped in too many rat spleens or exploded their cauldrons. Poor Alice Thewlis was gouging out a burnt purple mess from her cauldron for the third time that hour, and it was only her story that kept Rowan from assisting her.

"But you can't tell a soul." Rowan whispered under the cover of a particularly nasty bang that came from Nathan McMillan's cauldron. "Not even Alice, she's not even to know." Lily's emerald eyes sparkled with mirth.

"Aw, you're no fun." She pouted playfully, crossing her arms. "What's the point of giving Black what he deserves if you get no credit for it?" But she, for once, fell silent at the look on Rowan's face.

"Aw, alright." She giggled, "I won't tell a soul. But go over the ending part again, it was just so funny!"

********************************************************************

Funny wasn't exactly the term Black was using to describe the incident. He spent his Charms class sulking at a table not too far from the one he'd attempted to seduce Rowan behind the night before, surrounded by a throng of curious boys who kept pressuring him for details.

"Were ya out with a girl?" Frank Longbottom asked in a singsong voice, earning him a swat on the head from Sirius with his book.

"Are you mental, Longbottom?" James joked, packing away his quill at the end of the lesson, "What woman in their right mind would date this bloke? I mean, look at him." He wrinkled his nose in mock disgust. "Filthy lay about needs a new pair of robes…and all that hair!" He seized fistfuls of Black's curly black hair, letting it fall down into his expressionless eyes, "All that dratted, matted hair!! Oh, I do _declare, _that the state of his haaaair---" But he never got to finish, because Black swatted him with his book as well.

He was in an ill mood the whole rest of the day, and by dinner time certainly still didn't feel like sharing. Rowan was secretly grateful he was too embarrassed to tell everyone. If it was revealed she was the one who took out Sirius Black, she'd have numerous fan girls and James Potter to answer to. Potter…his angered face bobbed around in Rowan's mind and she shuddered, not wanting to think about what would happen if he knew.

Fortunately for Rowan, the holiday season took everyone's minds off the whole horrible event. Not even a day later the news about Black had become old, replaced by excited chatter about the upcoming holiday break. Tucked away in their dorm late at night Lily asked Rowan and Alice if they'd accompany her home for Christmas.

"Mum and dad have let Tuney have friends over for the past two years." She explained, her excited voice hinting at annoyance. "They finally let me bring you two again, but it took a lot of persuading since, of course, Tuney hates just about everything and anyone I bring home…" She rolled her eyes, putting on a high, girlish voice.

"And whatever I say, because I'm Petunia Evans, has to go because I'm jealous and can't do magic! Oh mother, pity me." And her arm fell over her eyes as she collapsed into Rowan's lap dramatically.

***************************************************************

Dear Lily,

I know that I ask you this every single year, and you've got to tire of it after awhile. I'm hoping this is the year you finally put aside every negative thing you've ever heard about me and just say what I want you to when I ask you--Will you go out with me? There, it's done. You knew, in a letter from me of all people, that I'd ask you out at least once…how can you not, after I've only done it, what, going on 100 times? Well, if you don't want to this time I guess im going to give up on it. You probably cant wait for that, but maybe you've changed your mind. You've always been friendly to Rowan, who's a good friend of mine. Everyone likes her though. Especially Sirius…(if you catch my drift)Anyways, you can reject me/accept me/hex me however you want, though I'd quite prefer a letter.

-James

Lily got the letter at breakfast. As instructed, Rowan dropped it into her lap while breezing past her table on her way to breakfast. Instead of sitting in her usual spot next to Lily, Rowan slid into the seat next to James, who looked panic-stricken. He hadn't let Rowan read the letter, but she could tell by his pallid face and nervous demeanor what it had said.

"Did you do it?" He asked, and Rowan noticed he was starting to look slightly green over his eggs. "Are you sure the letter fell where it was supposed to, and somebody else didn't get it?" He looked towards Lily's table nervously, then stuck his fingers into his glass of water and began attempting to flatten his hair. Rowan grabbed his wrist with a meaningful look, and he stopped. "Okay, okay…" He said reluctantly, his eyes still on the glass of water, "But d'you have a mirror? Y'know…for if she rejects me again I can make sure I look extra charming?"

Rowan laughed as she pulled a little jar of strawberry jam towards herself and began to spread it liberally on her bagel. "Sure, there's a little one in my bag…might be a good idea to get that bogey out of your nose before she comes over here, though, or else it could definitely ruin the effect." James seized the bag and threw open the mirror in a panic, then glared at Rowan after surveying every inch of his nose for at least three minutes.

"You arse." He scowled, tossing it back into the bag. Rowan sniggered as Sirius slid into the seat across from her.

"What's the reaction kids?" He chirped, craning his neck for a better view of the Lily Table. "Bitter fury, agonizing sorrow, or a lustful, passion filled agreement?" Beside him, Remus snorted into his pudding. Rowan stood up, her eyes fixed on Lily down the table. Her flaming hair fell in a curtain around her face, her head was bowed and her hands held something white beneath the table. Her friends were crowding around her, clutching each other and giggling, but she simply swatted them away with a flick of her wand when they got too close.

"No reaction appears to be visible mates." Rowan said, falling back into her seat and reaching for another bagel. "Object of desire currently has face hidden by a secretive curtain of hair." James moaned, putting his face in his hands. Rowan stuck her bagel in her mouth and rubbed his back consolingly.

"Chill James!" She said thickly through a mouthful of bread, "Worst she can do is say n---oh _hello_, Lily!" Rowan said pleasantly, shrinking a bit under her gaze. Did she always have the most inconvenient times? Lily tossed her hair out of her eyes and held up the note, held between two fingers. Her eyes were fixed solely on James. Right now, nothing in the room mattered more that him, not even the moist blueberry muffin sitting on his plate, and muffins were Lily's weakness. Her shaking fingers held the note eye level with James.

"Did you write this note?" She demanded, her eyes blazing into his. He gulped.


	10. Chapter 10

Across the table Sirius shot Rowan a look, which she returned. Things were going quite strangely indeed…usually by now Lily had yelled at him and stalked off. James, obviously expecting the worst from this civil conversation, put on the usual act.

"Yea, Evans…I did." He quipped, a smirk playing at the corners of his thin mouth. "Come to reject me in style, have you now?"

Instead of bristling like she normally would at James's attitude, Lily just smirked back. Sirius's eyes locked with Rowan's again and she quickly ducked under the table and crawled up into the sat next to him.

"Do you think…" She started, as James stood up.

"I think--" Sirius began. The two watched Lily to James like an intense Quidditch match, eyes darting anxiously from male to female. The Great Hall had gone almost completely still. The usual breakfast chatter had dimmed down to only a few jumbled conversations as rows of tables up and down the Great Hall had begun watching the drama unfold with bated breath. Lily looked towards the note, then at James, who gulped again. But instead of throwing the note at his face and stomping off like she'd done for the past six years, she instead leaned closer to James and smiled softly. Lily Evans did not smile at James Potter. Nor did she…._**kiss him?!!!!! **_

"Argh!" Rowan cried, as Sirius dragged her with him as he fell backwards off the bench in shock. People up and down the tables, even some decent-hearted Slytherins, were clapping, and Sirius and Rowan looked at each other, nothing short of amazed. Black smiled at her and the two stood up, clapping louder than anyone. Sirius was soon wolf whistling, the noise sharp and clear in the wide hall, and after a few moments, Lily and James broke apart. Blushing furiously Lily muttered something about the library and ran off, forgetting her bag and wand. James looked like he'd been beaten by a Bludger for a moment, then looked up towards the long table where Dumbledore sat. Even now, everyone present swore Dumbledore gave a little nod of his head then winked. At this approval, James's shocked face broke away into the largest smile anyone had ever seen him wear, and he tore after Lily. Over at the Slytherin table, Snivellus stabbed his pancake bitterly.

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	11. Chapter 11

"So what were you and Lils up to in the library?" The Mauraders and Rowan were out by the lake, watching the Giant Squid drift lazily under the thin sheet of ice. The sun was shining brightly, unusual for December, and it reflected the light, fluffy clouds that drifted pleasantly in the translucent sky into the ice. Sirius grabbed an apple from his bag and leaned against the trunk of the boy's beloved beech, one muscular arm behind his head.

"Ya, Prongs-tell us all about it. It was a waste trying to get anything outta you yesterday." He took a giant bite out of his apple, spraying Remus with it's juice. He sighed, wiping it away from his Muggle Studies book.

"Yea," Rowan giggled, "Thank god we didn't have a match." James laughed, tossing his head to the sky and studying the clouds.

"Well…hehe, I think you can figure it out." Remus looked up from his book, alarmed, and Sirius laughed.

"Oh god." Rowan said, shaking her head. James and Sirius were roaring with laughter, and so was Pettigrew. To her surprise, Rowan saw that Remus was smiling more than usual too. Guys could be such perverts.

Sirius took another bite out of his apple, choking and laughing. "So what really happened mate?" James ruffled his hair.

"So you don't believe my little story?" He chortled. Everyone clustered around the tree shook their heads, then burst out laughing. James joined in, smiling like mad again.

"Actually nothing really…" He said casually, strolling to the water's edge and examining his reflection in the ice. He turned his head to the side and smoothed his hair down a bit, contrasting to the days when he'd look in the water to see how much he should ruff it up. "She basically just told me she thought she'd better say yes soon or she figured I'd get violent." Rowan unzipped her bag and pulled out her thick Potions book, flipping open to the page on Magical Remedies.

"Figured that might've happened sooner or later."

It was such a pleasant day. The cold, bitter Arctic winds that had plagued the castle just a few days before had died down and now the air was actually a pleasant temperature. The weather was quite warm for a winter day, and nearly everyone was outside or playing games of Gobstones in hand knit sweaters. Sirius was lazily munching on his apple, relaxing while gazing up into the bright sky. Honestly, Rowan found herself surprised at having the impulse to snog him right there. The clouds were reflected in his onyx eyes and she couldn't help but lean in closer, not when his eyes looked so nice and his cologne had never smelled better.

"Why're you lookin' at me like that?" Sirius's quizzical voice snapped Rowan out of her daydream.

"What? You're delusional." She stuttered, quickly moving away and bringing her knees to her chest. Sirius set his apple on Remus's open book, which sat comfortably on his Indian style lap.

"Oh, don't you try to deny Sirius Black! That wasn't just a normal look." He said playfully, grinning from ear to ear. Rowan scowled, inching towards Remus and his book. Sirius followed.

"How would you know what my normal look looks like, Black? It's not like you spend your time studying me." Rowan saw him blush slightly, which surprised her, but it was gone in an instant. He flipped over onto his back and stared up at her, smirking. "There's no way that was a normal look, Rowan." He flipped upright again, mimicking Remus's posture. "Here-I'll show you." And he rearranged his features into a dreamy, half smiling expression that was almost dead on to what Rowan's had been. It was a pitiful, wistful look…and he'd picked up on it. Oh god. Now Rowan had gone about giving him the wrong impression.

"Don't make yourself look like an arse, Sirius." She said, propping her book to hide her scarlet face. Sirius just laughed, crossing his arms under his head.

"Whatever you say Watkins. I knew you couldn't resist this charm." Remus gingerly picked up Sirius's half eaten apple and placed it on his knee. He was still absorbed in his book, his tawny eyes skating over the pages as he took in every word it was saying.

"Remus, what're you reading?" Rowan asked, peering over his shoulder. "It looks fascinating, but put it away, we never get to see that handsome face of yours anymore." This caught his attention. He looked at her and blushed, setting his book aside.

"I shouldn't be studying on a day like this.." He mumbled. Seeing Remus close his books was an inspiration to everyone else, and they all followed suit.

"Amen to that, Moony!" Sirius cried, giving his hair a brotherly tousle. He smiled, swatting his friend away to fix it nervously. James had now come out of his daze and patted Moony on the back.

"Now you're talkin' some sense, mate." He said. It was silent for a few moments, then there was a sudden outburst of loud, girlish giggling that certainly did not come from Rowan. At once, James leapt to his feet, stumbling on his cloak.

"Ah, Lily." He said with a wink. "I'll catch you later mates." And with that he puffed out his chest importantly and strolled over, taking Lily by the arm and leading her away from her chattering friends, who burst into giggles as the pair took their leave. Sirius turned to Rowan.

"How's your prank coming along?" He asked, finishing the last of his apple. Rowan smiled.

"Swimmingly. Yours?" Sirius's onyx eyes shimmered.

"Oh, perfectly." He said, winking. "Care to see sometime?" Rowan, remembering what had happened the last time she was left alone with Sirius, shook her curls.

"Nah…that's alright. And what would be the point in showing me? It's a competition!" Remus laughed.

"You've lost it Black." He said. Black attacked him with a snowball, and a full out war began. Rowan ran after Black, throwing snowballs Remus enchanted to her ruthlessly at Black, smiling as the snow fell into her hair and Sirius did a wild leap to avoid her attack. Giggling like mad she sunk into a snow bank beside Sirius, who had fallen in a dramatic fashion and now was pretending to be dead. Remus was over by the tree forming more snowballs, his graying hair a snowy mess as his hat had been knocked off by Sirius. Rowan turned to look at Sirius, only to find herself pulled on top of him in the deep snow.

"Say I'm your favorite or Remus goes." He joked, smiling up at her. Rowan laughed, brushing his hair out of his eyes.

"Oh, alright. I admit it-you're the best, Sirius." He smiled, and the two looked at each other for a moment. Rowan felt herself strongly compelled to kiss him again, and was leaning in when she found herself tumbling into the snow.

"What?!" She cried, as Sirius stood over her, laughing.

"You said I'm your favorite, but Remus still is in for it!" He cried merrily, charging at Remus with a large snowball.

"Oh no you don't!" Remus cried, launching four at Sirius at once. They hit him square in the chest, making large, white marks on his black robes, and Sirius fell to his knees, grasping his chest.

"Oh…oh no." He whispered, "You've…got me." And he fell to his back, his head to the side and pink tongue hanging out. Remus laughed.

"KO'd!" He cried, dusting his hands on his robes. Rowan sank into the snow beside Sirius, taking his hand in hers.

"Oh, my poor, poor Sirius…" She moaned, dabbing at her eyes. "Taken away from me…you will pay for this, Remus!!" She yelled, charging at Remus with a fresh snowball. The fight continued, Rowan chasing him around the grounds, enjoying her last afternoon at Hogwarts before the holidays.


	12. Chapter 12

The station was always a mess on the first day of break, as everyone bustled around, anxious to make their way home for the holidays. The Hogwarts Express slid into the station, it's red smoke stacks spewing puffs of white smoke, which curled around the station, setting everyone in a blurry haze. All around Rowan people were hugging goodbye, slipping colored parchment with their addresses or phone numbers into friend's cloaks and making sure they had all they needed for the journey home. Lily strolled down the middle of the aisle way, flanked on each side by Alice and Rowan, who were all on the lookout for James Potter in the crowded station. A row of owl cages hooted shrilly as they passed and a small grey cat streaked through people's legs, upsetting a first year carrying a large trunk and cowering behind a cart of trunks. Rowan was joking with Alice when someone grabbed the sleeve of her robes. Ready to fight some tall, masked stranger for her purse, Rowan turned only to meet the warm eyes of Sirius Black.

"I have something for you." He said, smiling. "Have a minute?" Rowan looked back towards Lily, who gave her an encouraging smile. Alice waved and the two made their way down the platform, turning to steal excited glances at the pair. Rowan rolled her eyes, smiling fondly at the pair of them. Girls.

"Yea. Lead me where you will Black." She said coyly, taking the hand he offered her. He led her through the slow moving mass of people, past teachers and students, owls and rats, to a secluded corner by the station entrance. He moved in closer and for a second Rowan thought he was going to kiss her again until he pressed a small pink box with a large, lacy red ribbon into her hand.

"Merry Christmas." He said. Rowan looked at the beautiful little box in her hand, then smiled up at Black.

"Oh, a Christmas present?" She asked. Black scratched his head.

"Yea, just a little…you know, something. Christmas only comes once every year, so…you know…" His eyes fell to the box.

"Sirius, are you getting bashful?" Rowan joked, carefully undoing the ribbon. Sirius let out his usual bark like laugh.

"Come on. Me? Bashful? I don't know the meaning of the word."

The ribbon came undone and Rowan lifted the top of the little box slowly, peeking inside then opening it all the way once she saw what it contained.

"Oh!" She breathed, pulling a long necklace from the box and holding it up to the light. "It's beautiful!" She pulled the necklace to eye level and began to examine the details. Sirius had really outdone himself, she thought. The necklace was white gold, shimmering in the sunlight streaming in from the rows of tall skylights overhead. Attached to the matching chain was a little white gold owl pendant, his wings a shiny gold with round, sparkling diamond eyes. Rowan lifted her hair off her neck and allowed Sirius to hook the necklace around it, his fingers brushing delicately across her skin as he fastened it.

"Sirius…" She sighed, examining the necklace against her robes, "It's amazing. How could I ever thank you for this?" Sirius moved in front of her and took her hands in his, his onyx eyes boring deep into Rowan's hazel ones. She looked away, embarrassed at their intensity, but he cupped her chin in her hands and lifted her face to his.

"I only ask that you'll be mine." He said, still not taking his eyes off her. Rowan looked away again, blushing. She hadn't expected him to say it outright, but then again, it was Sirius Black..... Sirius's grip tightened and Rowan looked at him again. His soft onyx eyes fell to her owl pendant, then flashed back to meet hers.

"I really like you, Rowan." He said softly, tucking her thick hair behind her ears. Rowan smiled.

"I know." And she stood on tiptoe and pressed her lips to his, wrapping her arms around his neck as she deepened the kiss. A few passer-bys wolf whistled, but neither Rowan nor Sirius paid them any mind. Sirius had one hand tangled in Rowan's curls and the other wrapped around her waist. So this was what it was like to kiss Sirius Black willingly...Rowan sighed happily, tightening her grip around Sirius. They'd have to come up for air soon-how long could they keep going? Rowan was surprised at her mind's answer- for however long we want. Too soon the train whistle blew shrilly and Rowan broke away from him.

"I'll see you after the holidays." She said, dashing off towards the train. Sirius laughed, watching her go.

"Yea, like I'm really going to be able to just wait to see you after that."


	13. Chapter 13

The Evans household sat comfortably on a hill a little ways outside Surrey, not too far from where, years later, Petunia Dursley and her family would reside. The little thatched cottage was covered in ivy, green and snakelike in the way it curled around first story doors and windows. The bushes by the front step were misshapen and largely unkempt, since Mrs. Evans had long given up gardening in favor of knitting caps and various sweaters for the nearby orphanage.

"My mom's a saint." Lily explained on their way there. "She never does anything for herself, just others." Rowan nodded, flipping a page in Witch Weekly lazily.

"Like that time she saved those nine blind orphans from a house fire." Lily laughed.

"Yes, perfect example."

The three now were walking up the winding cobblestone path to the little cottage, sliding a little on the icy stone as they raced to the door, where a stout, redheaded woman, the sweet smell of freshly baked bread and a warm fireplace awaited them. Lily got to the oak door first, seeing as it was her house, and pushed it open with such force the merry Christmas wreath swayed and tipped.

"Mom, we're here!!" Lily cried, setting her things down in the foyer and wandering off in search of her family. Rowan stepped in behind her and smiled, shaking the snow from her curls. The familiar scent of baking bread wafted through the house and wrapped around her nostrils, and as Rowan inhaled deeply she thought she caught a strong wift of cinnamon among the fresh bread smell.

"Oh, its good to be home." She said happily, setting her bag next to Lily's. Alice's reaction was a bit less subtle.

"Sweet Merlin, look at this place!" She cried, spinning around in awe, trying to capture all the sights, sounds, smells at once. "It's like those little houses on Christmas cards! Bloody hell-" She said, sniffing the air just as Rowan had done, "It even smells like I thought those houses would!" And she clapped her hands delightedly, setting off down the hall after Lily. Rowan smiled, her fingers finding the owl pendant around her neck. She gave it a quick kiss, then followed Alice into the kitchen, where Mrs. Evans was already baking.

"Dears!" She cried, dusting her flour soaked hands on her apron and leaving two, bright white prints on the red fabric. She held out her arms and the girls sank into them, catching the soft, musky scent of her perfume alongside the other delicious smells of the kitchen. "So glad you all made it safely…Help yourselves, I've just baked two cherry pies." Rowan's eyes widened as she looked at Alice, whose brown eyes were as round as hers.

"There is a god." Rowan said, looking skyward. Mrs. Evans laughed.

"Well, I'd hope so. I also made some delicious gingerbread, I know how well you like it Lils." Lily smiled at her mother, giving her an extra hug.

"How've you been?" She asked, her bright eyes surveying her plump mother. Mrs. Evans shrugged, her eyes, the same color as her daughter's, sparkling merrily.

"Alright…I've missed you. And oh! You cut your hair. Let me see, did one of your girls at school do this? Very nice." Lily smiled, tossing it over her shoulder.

"Yea, Tabitha. I like it this length, it was too hard to manage when it was at my waist." Lily's mother nodded.

"That it was. Halfway suits you dear." She smiled, the lines around her almond eyes crinkling. Popping a cookie into her mouth Rowan thought she'd quite like to look like Mama Evans when she was older. The wrinkles around her eyes and mouth only made her soft features more beautiful, and accompanied alongside her vivid hair and eyes, Rowan could only hope to be this beautiful in old age.

"Where's Tuney?" Lily asked, her eyes scanning the kitchen. Mrs. Evans began rolling out dough on the kitchen counter with a fat, pink rolling pin.

"Out." She said simply, turning the pin over to roll the dough again. "Some friends picked her up this morning." Lily's eyes lost some of their brightness.

"Oh…did she know I was coming, by any chance?" Mrs. Evans stopped rolling.

"Well…"

"Don't lie." Mrs. Evans sighed heavily, giving her daughter a meaningful look.

"Yes. I told her yesterday morning." Lily's fists clenched, and Rowan could tell she was trying hard to control her temper.

"And what did she say?" She asked, moving towards the counter. Mrs. Evans picked up the pink pin and began to roll again, pounding on the dough rather more than necessary.

"She said she didn't want to see you quite yet, if you want the honest truth." She said, her plump lips going into a firm, thin line. Lily's expression softened.

"Oh…" She said sadly. "Oh…" Alice moved from the barstool, where she sat next to Rowan stuffing her face with gingerbread, and wrapped one arm around Lily.

"Don't worry about her, Lils." She said consolingly, rubbing her shoulder. "We're going to have a great Christmas." At this Lily brightened a little and led them in a rowdy game of Capture The Flag with the neighborhood children, but fell back into her depressed mood when she saw Petunia disappear into the cottage, her nose held high in the air.

"Uh-oh." Alice said, nudging Rowan in the ribs.

That night at dinner was, for use of a better word, awkward. Petunia ate rapidly and, after only a helping of her favorite cinnamon applesauce, announced that it had been a long day and asked to be excused. But Mr. Evans, being the sharp man that he was, saw right through this.

"Now you stop your complaining and finish your dinner." He said, gesturing at her with his fork. "Your sister's come home for the holidays, you can suck it up and be civil." His thick blonde moustache quivered as he stared at Petunia, who crossed her arms and spent the rest of the dinner in a huffy silence, glaring around the table at them all. From across the table, Lily gave Rowan a meaningful look.

The dessert that night was cherry pie, freshly baked by Mama Evans, and when she set it down on the table, richly decorated with strips of flaky pastry, everyone found themselves drooling involuntarily.

"It looks lovely, Mama Evans." Rowan said, as Lily's mother put a large, steaming piece onto her dessert plate. Mrs. Evans smiled as Alice handed her her plate.

"Well, I do try dears…there you go, sweetie…Tuney dear, could you hand that plate to your sister?" And that was how Mrs. Evans unknowingly began to ruin Lily's first night at home.

"I'd love to, mum." Petunia said sweetly, a small smile curving the corners of her lips. Mrs. Evans passed the plate to Petunia. Rowan watched the pie being exchanged with round eyes. She almost wanted to jump across the table, scream "Don't do it Lily!!" but just as she was about to spring, the damage was done.

"Here you gooo-oh!" Petunia cried, dropping the pie into Lily's lap. She was wearing white pants.

"Tuney!" She cried, jumping out of her chair and stumbling backwards. Petunia smiled mischievously before gasping dramatically and seizing a napkin from the wicker basket on the table.

"Oh my gosh, here, let me help you--oh, I'm _so _sorry Lils." She said, though she was grinning. Mr. Evans had had enough. His mustache was quivering more than ever.

"Petunia Daphne Evans, you get upstairs right now!" He bellowed, standing up in his seat. Mrs. Evan's emerald eyes looked up at him.

"Paul, dear, it was just an accident…really, Tuney didn't mean-"

"Tuney knew exactly what she meant to do!" Mr. Evans cut across her. "And for that malicious act, she needs to get her arse upstairs." When Petunia did nothing but stare at him, he closed his eyes, pointed towards the stairs, and yelled "Go!!"

Petunia wasted no time. With one last glare at Lily, who was still sopping pie off herself, she hightailed it up the stairs, slamming her door shut with a deafening bang. Mrs. Evans sighed, then took Rowan's plate.

"More pie?"


	14. Chapter 14

"I can't believe she did that to you." Alice said. She was sitting at Lily's desk, a twisty lamp positioned over Lily's pants as she siphoned off the cherry stains with her wand. Lily had stormed into her room after dinner and curled up in the fetal position. She was still in it now, a few hours later, and only stirred when Alice spoke. Keeping her legs wrapped tightly to her chin, she looked over her shoulder bed at Alice.

"Then you obviously don't know Tuney very well." She huffed, turning back to her knees again. At the head of Lily's bed, Rowan was stroking her soft hair, letting it flow through her fingers like silk.

"Don't let the Muggle get you down." She whispered, tucking Lily's thick hair behind her ears. Lily moved her hand aside gently, and untangled her legs from their crossed position to sit on the bed like Rowan.

"Yea, but that Muggle's my sister." She said dejectedly. Rowan sighed.

"Well, yes…but on the plus side, your dad will take care of her!" Lily smiled weakly, then seized Rowan around the waist and squeezed her so tight her ribs cracked.

"Oh, I love you Rowan!" She cried, burying her face in Rowan's sweater. Over Lily's head Alice's eyes met Rowan's and she shrugged. "You're the best friend ever!!" Lily sobbed, her voice muffled by the scratchy fleece. Alice dropped her wand.

"Hey! I'm here too!" She cried indignantly. Lily raised her face from Rowan's chest, tiny beads of water sparkling in the dim lamplight on her cheeks. "Sorry." She chocked, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. Alice moved to the bed and hugged Lily.

"That's okay. You've had a rough night. Just so you know, we love you…even if Tuney doesn't." Lily gave a watery laugh and blew her nose unsteadily on the tissue Rowan handed her from a floral cardboard box.

"Thanks." She said, smiling. "That means a lot."

Alice stretched, yawning, and wiggled her toes. "So, speaking of love," She said, leaning back on her elbows, "Whats this with you and Sirius?" Rowan blushed.

"Yea, what's up with you two?" Lily asked, moving closer to Rowan. The unfortunate incident at dinner might never have happened.

"We…I don't know." Rowan said honestly, retrieving the owl pendant from the inside of her sweater. "But he gave me this…" Lily nearly ripped it off her neck as she seized it for examination with Lily.

"Bloody hell…" Alice breathed, fingering the owl's tiny wings. "How much did he get this for? We could pawn it and eat for a year!" Lily took a corner of the owl and bit into it.

"Ah! Yep, it's solid…real." She said, handing it back to Rowan. "What did you do to that boy?" Alice sighed dreamily.

"I wish Frank would spend that much on _me_ she whined, eyeing the necklace enviously. Rowan gazed at the necklace fondly.

"Yea, well…hands off." She said, smiling down at the owl, whose lamp like eyes were sparkling.

"What did you do when he gave it to you?" Lily asked.

"Snogged him." Lily and Alice's mouths fell open in identical, comical O's.

"You WHAT?!" They said in unison. Rowan giggled.

"He told me he really liked me and…well, I kissed him better than anyone has before." Lily whistled under her breath.

"Daaah-AM!" She said, causing the girls to fall into a fit of giggles. Once they had come back to normal, Alice hiccupping, Lily looked meaningfully at Rowan.

"You must be a great kisser-when we saw Black board the train, he looked like he didn't know what hit him."

"Yea, he was still sort of dazed. I'm going to have to try something like that on Frank, he's going to do anything for you now." From the hallway came the soft shuffling of feet and a small click; Lily's parents had gone to bed.

"Ah...." Rowan said, running her hand through her long curls, "Good friends, good food, and even better snogging...it must be the holidays."


	15. Chapter 15

The next few days passed smoothly enough with not a peep from Tuney, who had been out with friends or skillfully avoiding her sister and every one of her friends. Rowan had encountered her in the laundry room the next night and attempted to strike up a conversation, but she could have been talking to a brick wall for all the response Petunia gave.

"How's school going?"

"Fine."

"Your mom makes delicious pies."

"I know."

"The snow's really falling…reckon we'll be snowed in?"

At this Petunia's eyes widened, as if the thought was nothing short of torture.

"Goodness no." She said brightly, folding her clothes and taking them away up the stairs.

"Goodness no." Alice said later that night, imitating Petunia in a high pitched voice. "Maah maah maah maah maah maah MAAH." From the counter Lily chuckled, wrapping her hands around a large mug of tea from which a badly painted Santa smiled merrily from the ceramic.

"I won't be sorry to leave her when the time comes." She said, taking a sip of her tea, "That's for sure." Alice scooped the daily paper from Mr. Evan's easy chair and slid into a seat at the kitchen table, spreading it out in front of her and marveling the stationary pictures.

"Look at that!" She cried, waving the pictures under Rowan's nose. "No movement at all! Those beady little eyes…damn, who is this man? He's grade A ugly." Lily snorted into her tea.

"That man," She said, taking the paper away from Alice and folding it, "Is the Muggle Prime Minister."

"Oh." Alice said. Her eyes fell to the paper once more and she shrieked, pointing frantically to a small heading in bold. "A winter carnival! Oh-look,look at this-" She pushed the paper around so that everyone could see, and read aloud-

"The National Park-Goers Committee invites you to attend the third annual winter carnival, held in Hammolds Park! Live music, steaming mugs of hot cocoa, beautiful lights, ice skating until 10 pm and sleigh rides!" Alice was nearly beside herself. "Ooooh, Lily, lets go! Let's go, let's go, lets _goooooo!" _Lily picked up the paper and scanned it.

"Hmm…couldn't be too bad. Those tree huggers usually know how to throw a pretty decent bash. I'll handle the money this time." She said, glaring around at Rowan, who smiled apologetically. Last time they'd been to Lily's for the holidays, Mrs. Evans had taken them to a ladie's shop downtown. Rowan had attempted to use knuts and Galleons to pay for everything and insisted that the cashier was crazy when she demanded a 20 pound note. Frustrated, the girl called security and Rowan was asked to leave the store. Mrs. Evans still wasn't allowed there.

"Alright, if you handle the money, can we go?" Alice begged, tugging at Lily's sweater. Lily laughed.

"Ah, I can't say no to you. Get your coats, I'll go ask my mum." She scurried up the stairs and Alice took Rowan by the hands.

"A carnival, a carnival, a carnival!" She cried, jumping up and down excitedly. Rowan joined in.

"A carnival, a carnival, a carnival!" They chanted, bouncing up and down like madmen. Lily and Mrs. Evans stopped at the top of the stairs; Lily cleared her throat loudly.

"Can we go?" Alice asked, not even noticing Lily's glare. Mrs. Evans chuckled softly.

"Of course. You're so excited, and it'd be good for you girls to get some fresh air." Alice punched the air.

"Yeeeees!" She hissed, smiling at Rowan. "You hear that? She said yeeees!" Rowan chortled, tugging her beret over her ears.

"Yea, loud and clear." She giggled. Lily hurried down the steps and wrapped herself in her long coat, doing up every last button to her chin.

"What?" She said, as Rowan and Alice burst into a fit of giggles at the sight of her. "It's cold!"

A half hour later, Lily was giving the freckle faced kid at the kiosk money for three and then they were in, Rowan and Alice marveling at how Muggles used plugs and electricity for Christmas time.

"All those wires! What would happen if you just," Rowan made a snapping motion with her hands, "Broke them apart?" Lily blinked.

"You don't go near them." She said, but she was trying hard to contain her smile and burst into a fit of giggles.

Lily bought them all a hot chocolate, which turned out to be lukewarm and not half as chocolaty as Mama Evans, then the three squished together in a majestic white sleigh, eager to be pulled through the snow by two large Clydesdale horses. The driver, a friendly looking old man, smiled at Lily as she entered the carriage with a toss of her hair and had to give short little Alice a leg up to reach the sleigh, which must have been at least a foot off the ground. When they had been seated, tucking the matching white blanket tightly across themselves the man whipped the horses and they were off, trotting merrily along a wooded path.

"Snow!" Alice cried, tearing her hat from her head and sticking her tongue to the sky. Lily and Rowan followed suit, making it a contest to see which one of them could catch the most snowflakes. They even encouraged the driver to join in, and he spent the remainder of the ride with his tongue sticking straight out, since he couldn't tilt his head to the sky. He ended up winning. After the ride they all were frozen solid despite the warm blanket, and agreed to call it an early night. They all clamored into the cottage, stomping their boots on the large door rug, and were greeted by Mrs. Evans, who was holding out a thick letter to Rowan.

"An owl came when you were away." She said, as Lily and Alice removed their scarves. Lily shot Rowan a look and she opened the letter, smoothing the crisp white parchment and taking it to the light. She smiled upon recognizing the long, capital scrawl that skated across the page.

Dear Rowan,

How are you? Muggles treating you well? The thought of stepping into Evan's house gives me the chills. Even though I'm not living with her anymore, my mum would have a fit. My dad too, come to think of it. He does everything she says. The gang's all here at Potter's house, you should stop by the last days of break. Potter's mum would probably bake you some crazy cake, she did when we arrived. If she did then we'd all get to eat it, and her cakes are heavenly. If you visit maybe she'll splurge and make a chocolate one…but I don't want you to visit just because if you did, I'd get a cake.(Though I've got to admit, its part of the reason. Just joking) I miss you. We didn't even get to say goodbye…well, we did, but it wasn't long enough. Way too short. Stupid trains. Hope you still love the necklace…write back to me soon. Lil's owl can find me.

All my love, Sirius.

Alice had been reading over her shoulder.

"Ooooh, Rowan!" She cried, swatting her playfully. "He's hooked!" Lily, who had been fixing her hair in the hallway mirror, moved over curiously to see what all the fuss was about. Rowan handed her the letter.

"He is sweet." She said, smiling. Lily handed the parchment back to Rowan.

"You're lucky. James hasn't written me once." She dusted a bit of snow from Rowan's shoulder. Rowan folded the note carefully and stuck it in her pocket.

"He will…what do you think about spending the last few days at the Potter's?" She asked hopefully. Lily laughed.

"Easy now, Ro. I really like James, he's my boyfriend now, but I still think spending two whole days with him would be a little too much Potter." Alice raised a brow.

"What's going to happen if you marry him, eh?" She asked, taking a candy cane from the Evan's tree and unwrapping it.

"Oh god, Alice." Lily said, smiling. "He's just a school boyfriend, who knows what will happen. You're such a romantic..it's not like because we're going out now I'll be with James when I'm twenty and have a son named Harry. Tons of things could happen between now and then. We might grow apart, he might cheat, I might die in a freak Quidditch accident…you never know." Alice laughed, nearly choking on her candy cane.

"Ah, well…what kind of name is Harry anyway?" She teased.

"A nice one." Lily answered simply. Alice chuckled.

"I want you all in bed early tonight!" Mrs. Evan's voice called from the stairway. "Your father's all excited, he wants to open Christmas presents early." Lily looked at Rowan and Alice.

"I nearly forgot!" She cried. "It's Christmas tomorrow, isn't it?" Alice flicked her in the head.

"Duh! Where have you been Lils?"

"Somewhere in outer space."

"Obviously."

But Lily was in a panic.

"I haven't gotten James a thing!" She cried, seizing fistfuls of her bright hair. "What's he going to think of a girlfriend that hasn't gotten him a thing for the holidays?"

"Lily," Rowan said soothingly, unclenching Lily's fists, "I think agreeing to finally date him is present enough." Lily shook her head, snatching her coat from the hanger by the door and pulling it over her shoulders. She tucked her beret lopsidedly on her head, glanced quickly at the clock, then slipped out the door.

"Leave it open for me." She whispered, then slipped out into the cold night.

"Do you think we should go with her?" Alice asked, leaning against the doorframe with another candy cane. Rowan crossed her arms, smiling.

"Naw…that Lily is something else."


	16. Chapter 16

The next morning was Christmas day, and at three in the morning Mr. Evans tried stomping through the house and knocking on doors to rouse everyone for presents, but after Petunia threw her alarm clock at the door, yelling "Can't you read the numbers, you dolt?!" He retreated back to his room, where he woke again at six.

"Come on! I've waited three hours, up you get!" He cried in his deep, booming voice. "Presents! Tea! More presents!!" Lily rolled over in bed, shielding her eyes from the light pouring into the room from the hallway.

"Is it that time already?" She yawned, rolling upright and sinking her feet into her wooly slippers. Rowan cracked her back, tugging at the long braid down her back to let her curls free.

"Seems so…you're dad's not excited, is he?" Lily rolled her eyes.

"Alice?"

Alice didn't stir. Her mouth was hanging open and a thick stream of drool was sliding down her chin. She lie spread eagle in her bed, the covers tangled around her toes, and her eye twitched as she slurped and mumbled something about cactus. Rowan raised a brow.

"Get the horn." She said. Lily, who had been heading towards the door, whipped around so fast her hair smacked her in the face,

"What?" She asked, spitting it out of her mouth. Rowan held out her hand.

"You heard me. Horn-the pink one. Your bed table." Lily gave Rowan a look as though questioning her sanity, then scooped it up from the table and placed it in her palm.

"Why do you even have this anyway?" Rowan asked, fingering the rubber nozzle. Lily laughed unpleasantly.

"A gift from Tuney. She hated how I slept for hours when we were younger. Cut out from our play time."

"I see…and it hasn't ever been used?" Lily nodded.

"Never…and please tell me you're not going to do what I think you're going to do."

Rowan batted her eyelashes innocently at Lily. "Use it on Alice? Why I--"And she pressed the nozzle. A loud, earsplitting shriek radiated throughout the house, causing Alice to bolt out of bed with a startled snort and fall to the floor. Mr. Evans's voice floated up the stairs, "What the Sam hill _was_ that?" Alice was clutching her heart.

"Good lord, Rowan!" She cried, leaning her head on the end of her bed, panting slightly. "Good lord." Rowan smirked and set the horn safely back on Lily's bed table.

"Mr. Evans wouldn't have wanted you to miss Christmas." For a moment Alice looked as if she would quite like to hit Rowan, then threw her head back and laughed like a maniac.

**********************************************************************

The morning was an incredibly pleasant one. Mama Evans had baked a fresh batch of homemade cinnamon rolls and ladled extra sweet icing onto each one in snowman form with the help of Alice's wand.

"Cherry and unicorn hair." She said, twirling it between her fingers. "Can't go wrong."

The Christmas tree, drooping under the weight of five different strings of lights and heavy, homemade ornaments stood majestically in the center of the parlor, presents of every shape and color stacked underneath. Mama Evans went first in the gift-getting, beaming as she tore open a small box from Lily to find a case of Honeyduke's finest dark chocolate.

"It's lovely!" She cried, sliding it out of it's reflective gold package and breaking it into bite sized pieces for everyone to enjoy.

"Saint." Lily mumbled, licking her fingers.

Mr. Evans was giddy as a school girl. He bounced up and down in his easy chair by the fire and cried out with delight whenever Lily brought a present over to him. He was incredibly pleased with his wife's gift of a new pair of leather gloves, wowed by Lily's Chocolate Frogs (though was considerably less excited after having one hop about in his stomach) and blown away by Petunia's screwdriver set.

"I wrapped it myself." She pointed out, gesturing towards the beautifully cut yellow paper and giant green bow. Her eyes narrowed as she looked towards Lily, who raised her hands in defense. Rowan and Alice each got a small, miniature cake decorated in red and green and Rowan, recalling Sirius's letter tucked under her mattress upstairs, smiled fondly at it. From Lily they both received a new pair of pink, woolen mittens, which Alice was very excited about.

"Lils, these are the _best_!" She cried, shoving them on her hands and wiggling her fingers. "They're warm…" She ran her hand over her face, her eyes growing wide. "And soft!!" And she attacked Lily in a bear hug.

At the end of gift giving, Mama Evans brought out another steaming tray of rolls and Petunia reluctantly handed Lily a slightly misshapen package, wrapped rather less carefully than her father's in the same bright yellow paper.

"Just a little something." She said. Lily smiled, handing her sister a small pink package from under the tree. Unlike Petunia's, it was painstakingly wrapped and taped. Rowan had helped her wrap it, spending an hour doing so even with the aid of Alice's wand.

"Thanks." Petunia said stiffly, beginning to unwrap it. Lily tore the paper off hers too, and excitedly pulled out her gift. When she saw it her face fell slightly, though Rowan wondered if she was the only one who saw it, since a moment later she was beaming.

"Oh, its wonderful, Tuney!" She cried, holding up a hideous, bulky green sweater to her chest. Petunia, who had been examining a small box of Coconut Ice and sniffing it as though afraid of contamination, smiled weakly.

"Really? My friend Cara's grandmother loves to knit, so I thought…green, you know…and how much you love sweaters." She turned the package over in her hands, letting the Ice shake around the sides. Rowan licked her lips. "And…thanks for this." She said, holding up the little pack. Lily folded her sweater neatly in her lap and reached for another cinnamon roll.

"I thought you'd enjoy them."

Christmas dinner was scrumptious, as Mama Evans had decided to pull out all the stops for her guests. There was a golden honey ham, salad, stuffing, home made cranberry sauce and buttery, flaky rolls that went to pieces on the tongue, bright green beans and a heaping bowl of Petunia's favorite cinnamon applesauce. Mama Evans carried all this to the table then sank down into her chair, wiping sweat from her brow and puffing her napkin out like a little parachute and folding it in her lap.

"Ah, a happy house and soon even happier stomachs!" She chirped, taking Lily's plate and beginning to ladle cranberry sauce onto it. Mr. Evans lit the two high candlesticks, decorated with miniature wreaths of holly, with a small box of matches, and Rowan and Alice marveled over the way he rubbed it on the red side and the flame ignited. Mr. Evans found their amazement so humorous he lighted and blew out seven matches before his wife gave him a look from across the table and he sat back down to his dinner. After dinner everyone was feeling very full and sleepy, and Alice fiddled with the radio, trying to tune it to the WWN (Wizarding Wireless Network) while everyone else lounged, stuffed, in various chairs. Lily was picking at her teeth with a yellow pick when there was a loud popping noise and James Potter suddenly appearing in her parlor. Mr. Evans, thinking it was gunfire, yelped and dragged his wife into the kitchen, where he stuffed her behind the fridge and took his shotgun from over the door. Lily swallowed her toothpick.

"James!" She cried, after clutching at her throat for a few moments, "You came!" Mr. Evans, who had been sneaking into the room with his shotgun, witnessed the kiss and leaned against the door frame, shaking his blonde head.

"Funny people, wizards." He chortled, moving back to the kitchen to store his gun. Petunia was glaring at everyone in a corner, and Rowan could tell she was having a hard time biting her tongue.

"I didn't have time to get you a present…" James said bashfully, smiling down at Lily, "So I was going to wrap myself and come to your place, but that seemed incredibly corny, so I just did this instead." Lily laughed, tossing her long hair.

"This is much better." She said softly. James beamed.

"So this is the famed James Potter." It was Mrs. Evans, and she was squeezing out from behind the fridge. James, bless him, didn't find anything weird about this at all. Instead, he puffed out his chest, strolled over to her, and shook her hand.

"That I am. Nice to meet you, Mrs. Evans." She smiled at his gentlemanly manner.

"And same to you, Mr. Potter." She said, bustling into the kitchen and taking the tea pot off the stove.

"Tea?" She offered, pulling two mugs from the cupboard shelves. James nodded enthusiastically.

"Please."

After James had drained his mug and Mr. Evans had fallen asleep in his easy chair with the daily post over his face, Lily dragged him out of his recliner and into the hall.

"We're going out." She said, throwing her scarf around her neck. Rowan, who had been happily daydreaming about Sirius after James's updates, looked towards the door.

"And leaving us behind?" Lily paused, her hand on the door knob, then shook her head.

"Yes." She said. James offered her his arm and the two set off into the snow. Alice took a biscuit from the tray Mrs. Evans was now passing around and leaned back on the sofa, sighing happily.

"Ah…young love."


	17. Chapter 17

The next morning Mama Evans came tiptoeing into the girl's bedroom, her plump figure illuminated from a small candle she held in her hands as she roused the girls from their slumber.

"'S morning already?" Lily grumbled, kicking her covers off her legs. Mama Evans smiled, setting the candle on Lily's bedside table and stroking her hair fondly.

"I'm afraid so. Holidays are never long enough Lils."

The going-away breakfast was almost more lavish that Christmas dinner. If Rowan had thought Mama Evans pulled out all the stops for Christmas, it was apparent there were many, many more hidden away. The girls entered the dining room to find two long tables pushed together and covered with a pink tablecloth, stretching all the way to the opposite side of the room with delicious smelling food. Rowan's eyes widened as she surveyed the contents of the table. A heaping pile of toast, trays of poached, scrambled and fried eggs, a generous portion of blueberry pancakes, a morning pastry, it's flaky top decorated with streusel, and several more things besides.

"I thought we'd have an early breakfast…" Mama Evans said cheerfully as she brought a steaming pot of coffee to the table. "That way you'll have time to eat it all." Rowan had already placed her napkin into her lap and had her fork at the ready.

"Mama Evans," She said, eying the pancake Mama Evans placed on her plate, "If we eat all of this, I think we'll explode." Mama Evans just smiled.

After the girls had eaten their way through half the food (which sadly took very little time) it was time to prepare for Hogwarts. It really was lucky that Lily's mother had decided to spoil them with such a big breakfast so early, since packing was a disaster. Rowan spent ten whole minutes scouring Lily's room for her left house colored knee high, and Lily threatened to have them all miss the train when she insisted her lipstick be flawless. Rowan had pulled her out of the bathroom and down the stairs by her hair.

Mr. Evans would be driving them to the Station, but he wasn't too happy about it. His mustache quivered as he tucked his head into a large, wooly hat and slid massive fox fur mittens onto his thick hands, and he kept mumbling about the weather. Petunia even made a small appearance, appearing near the doorway in her pajamas to give Lily a surprisingly civil goodbye and even a quick, one armed hug before dashing up the stairs again in her curlers. At long last the cuckoo clock in the hall chimed nine o'clock, and with much tears and hugging (and pressing of muffins into hands) Mama Evans waved them goodbye and they all climbed into Mr. Evan's Impala and were off. Alice was fussing over the pink carnation shaped earrings Frank had sent her for Christmas, flashing her earlobes at Lily and Rowan and asking for opinions.

"I mean, they're pretty, but a little big…I think they're plastic, nothing like Sirius gave you Rowan." She complained, craning her neck to examine them in the rear view mirror. Mr. Evan's grey eyes flashed to the back seat.

"Alice, you block my view one more time and you're walking to the Station…or flying, whatever you wizards like to do." Alice laughed, thinking he was kidding and looked again, but quickly realized not to mess with Mr. Evans in a mood when he stopped on the side of a highway and told Lily to push her out. Just like Lily, when Mr. Evans wasn't feeling too great, he was best left alone.

The rest of the ride passed smoothly enough, with Mr. Evans becoming considerably more good natured when the radio station began to play Black Dog. Mr. Evans hurt all their ears by attempting to sing like Robert Plant, and they were relieved when he pulled into the parking lot.

"Here's your stop, girls." He said, unlocking the doors and swinging around back to unlock their things from the back of the trunk. Lily began to untie her and Alice's trunks on the top of the little car and Rowan took care of the owls, who had been twittering like mad in the back seat the whole car ride. After everyone had taken their things, and Mr. Evans did one quick check to make sure no one's wand had rolled under the seats, he hugged Lily goodbye and kissed her on the cheek, shaking hands with Alice and Rowan.

"You girls come back sometime, you hear?" He said, looking slightly alarmed as Rowan's owl began to hurl itself against the bars of the cage, screeching madly. Alice's long fingers stroked her wand.

"Do you want me to take care of that bird for you?" She said menacingly, eyeing Ellery in her cage. Rowan wrapped her arms around the owl, shielding it from harm and Lily chortled.

"Please, Rowan, it'd do us all a favor." And with one last kiss for her father she took her trunk, dragging it behind her on it's wheels, gesturing to Alice and Rowan to do the same. With a friendly wave to Mr. Evans, they set off towards the station.


	18. Chapter 18

King's Cross was a lively place, always full of action, but even more so when it was time to start term at Hogwarts. Students called to each other over the shrill whistles of trains, owls hooted softly in their cages and trunks occasionally opened, spilling ink wells and old potions bottles and attracting the attention of tons of Muggles. Rowan wondered how none of them picked up on the magical world, when every year funny looking people walked into their station with large trunks and often times caged owls or rats. She also loved how no one tried to hide the fact they were from Hogwarts. The school crest glinted on several chests, one girl had even taken out her new broomstick for a friend to ogle over in a corner.

"So much for the Statute of Secrecy." Lily mumbled under her breath as a boy in front of them spilled a whole jar of frog spawn over the pavement. Alice giggled.

The hardest part of going to Hogwarts was entering the station. One had to blend into the wall between nine and ten, but do it carefully so no Muggle noticed their disappearance into thin air. A group of anxious looking girls stood by the wall, blocking the other from view as they slipped through the wall. After they'd gone through Lily and Alice stood in front of Rowan and she slid through, waiting patiently inside 9 ¾ for them.

Two minutes later Lily appeared, closely followed by Alice. Both of them looked rather frazzled, and Lily's cheeks were flushed.

"The security guard thought we were loitering…suspicious looking, he said. If it wasn't for these stupid owls…" Alice tucked her hair behind her ears.

"Yea, some little guy was getting too close to the tracks so when he turned to save him we slipped through." She shook her head. "Muggles. They don't like the unknown much, do they?"

They made their way through the station, purchasing three tickets at the window and then waiting around the platform, catching up with old friends and comparing each other's new hair or clothes. Rowan was laughing with Marlene McKinnon when she looked up and saw him.

Sirius Black was laughing with James as he carried his trunk atop his strong shoulders, making his way through the crowds just as she had done. Rowan smiled, her fingers grasping around in her bag for her mirror. She vainly attempted to smooth her curls, though after a few seconds of doing so, they just became more frizzed and she gave up, slipping the mirror back into her bag. As Sirius came closer Rowan pretended to be very interested in Lily's conversation with a raven haired girl. It was James who noticed them first, sneaking up behind Lily and placing his hands over her eyes, but it didn't take long for Sirius to notice her either.

"Rowan!" He cried, dropping his trunk to the ground, where it fell on some student's foot. He began to howl in pain but neither Sirius nor Rowan paid the boy any mind as they gazed into each other's eyes.

"You cut your hair." Rowan mused, running her hand gently over the nape of Sirius's neck. He closed his eyes at her touch, wrapping her tightly in his arms. Rowan laid her head on his chest, smiling as she caught the sharp, woodsy scent of his cologne and felt the softness of his robes on his strong figure.

"Yea, Mrs. Potter attacked me one night with a pair of gardening shears and threatened to cut my hair off in the night, so I let her trim it in the kitchen with a normal pair of scissors." He ran his hand through his new, short cut, grimacing as he realized his curls were permanently gone. "It doesn't look too bad, does it? That woman nearly scalped me…." He began looking around, hoping to find a reflective surface of some sort to check himself out in, but Rowan turned his face back to her.

"I like it." She said, her eyes moving over his sharp, haughty features. "It makes you more handsome, really…" She smirked. "And I can finally see your face." Sirius laughed.

"Alright, enough with the smart ass comments. How was your break?" Rowan shrugged, her hands pressed against his chest.

"Not too bad. How about yours? Anything exciting happen besides the hair incident?" Sirius shook his head, then moved his hands to his hair again, not used to the absence of his curls.

"Not really…listen, are you sure it looks alright? Because I don't know…it's kind of-" Rowan pressed a finger to his lips, smiling coyly.

"Hot?" She whispered, leaning towards him. Sirius raised an eyebrow, then his face split into a wide grin.

"Oh, you really think so?" He said, moving closer, "How hot?" Rowan wrapped her arms around his neck, raising one hand to stroke his hair.

"Would you believe me if I said very?" She purred, her lips inches away from his ear. She pulled away and Sirius's onyx eyes softened as he looked at her.

"I'd say so." He said, pulling her closer again. "But how hot is very hot?" Rowan bit her lip, stroking his hair as she thought.

"Oh, one level or so under extremely." She decided, looking up at him through her lashes. Black used his thumb to brush a few curls away from her face, tucking them gently behind her ears and taking her by the waist.

"James stole that letter I wrote to you. Only gave it back to me after I won it in the poker game we played that night." His hands moved a little lower. "Best poker game I ever played." Rowan broke out the bedroom eyes.

"All just for me? Oh, Sirius…" She said playfully, straightening the collar of his robes, "I don't deserve that." Sirius's eyes traveled from Rowan's face to her feet then back again.

"I wish they didn't make you wear those robes." He said huskily, his grip tightening around her waist. Rowan laughed, tossing her hair over her shoulder with a graceful shake of her head.

"I could have them off in a minute…" She teased, running her finger lightly down his chest.

Lily and James had long wandered off, and not too far away, Alice was hugging Frank, fussing over a bright yellow carnation he had presented to her as she got off the train. Sirius had moved them to an area where they were almost completely alone, hidden by a large crate and tucked away behind one brick wall. Sirius sighed heavily, pressing Rowan tight against him.

"Not here…certainly not in front of all these people." And before Rowan could reply he was kissing her more passionately than she'd ever been kissed before. His soft lips barely brushed hers, his hands were tight around her waist, holding her much too close as he gradually switched to soft, slow, sensual kisses that left her weak in the knees. He must have felt the passion too, for he wrapped one arm around Rowan's back and one at the nape of her neck, supporting her head as he dipped her into a deep, spine tingling, passionate kiss. Rowan tightened her grip on him as the kiss deepened, becoming fast and furious as he dipped her lower to the ground. Rowan was beginning to feel lightheaded and just as her knees began to buckle Black lifted her upright and returned to the slow kisses, lightly sucking on her bottom lip as he pulled away and gazed into her eyes.

"I had to give you an experience equal to the one you gave me." He said, his hands falling to her waist again. "It's only fair." Rowan looked up at him, swaying on the spot.

"Bloody hell, Sirius," she said, using the wall to steady herself, "I think you topped any kiss I could ever give you. I was worried you were going to have your way with me on the station floor!" Sirius pulled Rowan towards him again.

"I could have…" He whispered, his eyes shining. "I wanted to." Rowan punched his arm, rolling her eyes.

"Stop that, there's children around." She said, jerking her head in the direction of two third year boys, who had been watching the kiss and were now giggling madly as they stared at the couple. Sirius smiled.

"Nothing they haven't heard before…" He muttered, kissing her softly again as his fingers found their way under her hair to softly caress the back of her neck. Worried she'd do something immoral if left alone with Sirius for much longer, Rowan pulled away from his arms and took his hand firmly.

"Come on, Romeo." She said, leading him through the station, "We've got to find Lily."


	19. Chapter 19

That night found Rowan and the rest of the Gryffindor girls crowded around Lily's four poster, where the forgotten, wrinkled piece of parchment containing the details of their prank lay. Lily's half eaten sugar quill skated across the parchment, her mouth flapping furiously as she explained the plans.

"Alright women." She said, doing a quick head count of the girls surrounding her bed, "There's ten of us here. That's a lot. The Marauders only have four, but they've proved that number isn't a big factor with the things they've done before. Still, ten gives us an advantage. We've got more skill. e stuck the feathery end of the quill into her mouth, sucking on the woven sugar in a dreamy sort of way. No one spoke, just waited for her commands. When Lily pulled the quill out of her mouth, she looked up at Tabitha.

"Tabitha, you say you've got a good hand with the pyrotechnics?" She asked, her eyes flashing over to the boxes of Filibusters carefully stacked under Rowan's bed. Tabitha nodded importantly.

"Yea, my dad is big into explosions." She said in her thick accent. Lily stuck the quill into her mouth again.

"Good, good…but the only thing wrong with that is…Well, ladies, I was talking to James and he let slip that he and his boys have a stack of fireworks too." There was instant uproar.

"Did you tell him?" Tabitha demanded, her eyes blazing into Lily's. "You're his girlfriend, you told him didn't you?" Lily shook her head.

"No, I would never tell Potter what we were up to. He said it in our compartment. Don't you remember that, Rowan?" She asked, her eyes round and pleading. Rowan shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, uh…" She returned Lily's hopeful gaze, "To be honest, no. I didn't hear that." Lily's smile fell, to be replaced by a large, ugly frown, and she slammed the sugar quill down onto the parchment, leaving several blotchy streaks.

"Of course you didn't." She said acidly. "I forgot you and Sirius were glued to each other the entire trip. I think James mentioned his fireworks idea when you were letting Sirius's hands go up your robes." Rowan glared at her. Tabitha and Marlene McKinnon were positively agog at this simple statement.

"You're going out with Sirius Black?" Tabitha cried. One perfectly arched brow raised skyward as she studied Rowan, as though she didn't agree with Black's taste in women. Rowan crossed her arms over her chest, blushing slightly as Marlene's sharp grey eyes scanned her hairline. Her hair was a fuzzy mess, her curls knotted and tangled from the snow and Sirius's hands. Alice came to the rescue.

"Why is that so surprising?" She snapped, shooting daggers at Tabitha and Marlene. "I think Rowan's more than worthy of Sirius Black. In my opinion, it's him that's not exactly worthy of her." Marlene laughed unpleasantly, tossing her magnificent black hair over her shoulders.

"Are you serious? Black is incredibly, like extremely, good looking. He's…an Adonis." She said, sighing dreamily. It took a moment for her to snap out of her daydream, but when she did she raised her brows at Rowan and her lips curled into an unpleasant smile. "And youre…" She looked Rowan up and down. "Well…"

But she didn't get to finish her sentence, because Rowan had tackled her and was now pulling at her hair.

"Ouch!…Ouch!" Marlene cried, her eyes watering in pain as she tried to pry Rowan's fingers from her hair, "Get off me, you moose!" The girls had long forgotten Lily's parchment. They now formed a circle around Rowan and Marlene, rolling around in the middle of the floor, cheering for their preferred fighter.

"Kick her ass, Rowan!" Lily cried, all dignity forgotten as she jumped up and down. Alice was laughing her head off.

"That's right, show her who's boss!" She giggled, as Rowan bent Marlene's leg back to her head and she retaliated by rolling onto her back and dragging Rowan on top of her, poking her in the eyes and then kneeing her in the stomach as Rowan doubled over.

Wheezing, with tears blurring her vision, Rowan's fist made contact with Marlene's cheekbone and she cried out in pain as a bony fist hit her collarbone.

"They're going to tear each other apart!" Tabitha cried, dancing on the spot and biting her nails nervously. Lily seemed to be thinking along the same lines. As Rowan aimed another punch at Marlene's face she and Alice seized her under the arms and dragged her, kicking and screaming, to the opposite side of the room. Tabitha and a brunette named Bailey did the same to Marlene, though she didn't kick quite so much. Lily pushed Rowan onto her bed and Alice pinned her down as she fought to stand back up and rush towards Marlene, who slumped on her bed with a bleeding nose and blooming black eye.

"Lemme at her, she deserves what she got!" Rowan cried, rather hysterically. Lily pushed her back down into the pillows.

"Not on my life, Rowan Watkins." She said, taking her wand from her pocket. "You'll settle down or I'll jinx you, I swear." Rowan struggled a little more against Alice's bonds, then relaxed and sunk into her bed, sighing heavily. Lily smiled, pocketing her wand.

"That's more like it. I'm going to get you some water, and don't you dare let her up." She added to Alice, slipping out the door. Over on the other side of the room, Marlene was moaning in pain.

"Oh, Tabitha, please…check my ribs, I think that beast broke them." She whined, clutching her side. Tabitha rolled her eyes.

"Please, Marlene. Rowan did not do any such thing." But Marlene wasn't going to give up that easily.

"Seriously, Tabby." She croaked, barely moving her lips, "I think I need to see Madam Pomfrey…my heart….something's wrong…oh!" She winced in pain as Bailey moved her leg onto a pillow. "I think…" She gulped, "I think she ruined that too." Rowan was now shaking with anger. "What's she going on about?" She asked, straining her neck to get a good view of Marlene over her group of sympathizers. Alice leaned towards Rowan, her hot breath blowing her curls.

"I don't know, but why don't you head over there and give her something to really complain about?" Rowan turned to Alice and their mouths curved into identical, mischievous smirks.

"I think I like what you're saying." She said, and Alice released her.

"Hey, Rowan, I've got your--" The water glass Lily had been holding crashed to the floor and she looked at Alice, startled. "I thought you were restraining her!" She cried, her eyes widening as Rowan and Marlene rolled past her, biting and pulling at the other's hair. Alice shrugged, moving to her bed and taking a nail file from her dresser drawer.

"Well, she asked for it." She said, beginning to file. Seconds later Marlene smashed into Alice's bed, rubbing her head in pain. Alice examined her nails.


	20. Chapter 20

The sun was rising. It cast a bright, orangey glow over the Hogwarts grounds, streaming merrily in through the large windows of the Great Hall and turning the tightly packed snow outside to diamond. Rowan couldn't help but feel her spirits raise as she walked with Lily through the halls to Transfiguration, letting the sun catch the highlights in her bright hair and warm her face. Lily was even in a good mood, forgetting completely that she'd gotten bad marks on a Potions essay and laughing as Rowan spun around the hall, pulling off her thick grey Hogwarts sweater.

"No more need for these anymore!" She trilled, her eyes sparkling merrily, "The sun is finally out! It's January, baby."

The change of months not only meant a little more sun, but also the coming of Rowan's seventeenth birthday.

"This is the birthday I've waited for all my life!" Rowan told Lily that evening as they relaxed in the Common Room with steaming mugs of tea. "I can finally use magic outside of school. I can come to your house over the summer and iron my clothes without an iron!" She cried, smiling happily at the thought. "And I can actually try and help your mum make dinner, since I know that with magic I can actually chop things other than my fingers." Lily nearly spat her tea in Rowan's face as she examined the deep, jagged cut running the length of her friend's finger.

"Yea, maybe we won't trust you with the magic just yet." She chortled, taking her Potions book from her bag and opening it up to a new chapter. "We'll leave that to the people who can actually use a knife." Rowan laughed.

Another good thing about January was that after the Marlene Incident, as Rowan had begun calling it, Lily was keener than ever to get to work on the plans. Saturdays they sat in their dormitory with steaming mugs of cocoa, going over tactics and corridors as if they were planning to break into Gringotts. Lily even blew off a date with James Potter to discuss a new idea with the girls, that's how important the planning process had become to her. Towards the middle of the month the prank was pretty much thought out, and Lily held the parchment to the light, beaming, and then brought it to her red lips for a quick kiss.

"It's…perfect." She said, giving the paper an affectionate pat. Alice nodded, her mouth full of licorice.

"Quite." Unfortunately the girls didn't have as much time as they would have liked to work on the plans further, for a few days later McGonagall announced that the preparation for their N.E.W.T.S, which were to be taken in June, would begin every Monday and Thursday night the actual examinations.

"These examinations are one of the most important things you will ever do in your lives." McGonagall began, pacing the room in an emerald cloak and matching pointed hat,. "Therefore, it is important that we begin preparing early, so you can all do your best and live up to the prestigious Hogwarts name. It is never too early," She said, stopping at the front of the classroom and folding her hands in a dignified sort of way, "To prepare. The exams are coming upon us quickly…."

"Six months is quickly?" Sirius whispered into Rowan's ear. She giggled, shushing him. McGonagall's hawk like blue eyes flashed towards Rowan and she fell silent, looking into her lap.

"And I think the more review you have, the better off you will be." She finished, looking sternly at Rowan and Sirius, who had begun a game of footsie under the table. Rowan gulped.

The following days McGonagall gave them all so much "review" that every seventh year found themselves staying up well past midnight just to finish it all, waking in the morning groggy and irritable. A week into the review Alice fell asleep over her breakfast, falling face first into her porridge and having to be taken away by Madam Pomfrey to the Potions Wing for an Invigoration Draught. Though Rowan wasn't tired enough to take a rest in her porridge, she wasn't feeling at all like her usual self. She began to crave coffee constantly, drinking it between classes, and once had a mild panic attack upon realizing there was no more coffee left after getting down to breakfast late, for others had become addicted as well. McGonagall lost her patience after seeing an increasing number of half conscious seventh years in her classes, and upon realizing that not everyone could study and solve problems at superhuman speed, cut down the work to two hours a night, which was reasonable. It was May by the time she had decided this, and the snow had melted to reveal long rows of bright, grassy hills covered in tiny flowers. Birds had returned back to the area and Rowan woke every morning in a brilliant mood, rolling to her back to be greeted by bright sunlight and the happy, dainty chirps of small birds.

It seemed that Spring Fever was getting to everyone. Nobody felt like working as the weather warmed, and the teachers even allowed them to slack off a little and enjoy the new season, because they too were sick of being cooped up inside the dingy castle. Spring hadn't affected anyone more than Sirius Black, however. He walked to lessons with a skip in his step, sang randomly at the top of his lungs, and continuously dragged his friends outside by the lake, insisting they take a swim when the water was still very, very cold. After Remus refused his offer to go swimming for what seemed like the hundredth time, Sirius cornered Rowan in the hallway the following Saturday, his eyes bright for the first time in weeks as he asked if she'd like to come on a walk with him. Longing for some fresh air (McGonagall's old regimen had kept her inside for an unhealthy amount of time) Rowan took the arm he offered and they strode out to the grounds.

"Where're you taking me?" She giggled, as Sirius led her past Hagrid's hut and the Forbidden Forest, his favorite place. But he didn't answer. Chortling at her confusion, he led her over flower covered hills and small, wooded areas until they reached the massive bridge that was suspended over a large gorge. Rowan laughed as he picked her up and carried her bridal style over the loose boards and set her down about halfway along the bridge, where it was most stable. Rowan looked up at Sirius and smiled as a light breeze ruffled her curls. Sirius smiled back.

"God you're cute." He said, laughing. Rowan leaned against the bridge, moving her curls off her neck and crossing her legs in her sundress.

"How cute?" She asked.

"Aw, don't start that again." Sirius moaned, though he was smiling. "You already know the answer."

The Saturday was an ideal one, light and breezy with not a cloud in the clear blue sky. The view from the little bridge was spectacular, running over a sparkling stream surrounded by small, budding trees and patches of wildflowers that emptied into a large lake that was just visible from a grove of evergreens.

"Are you sure this thing is safe?" Rowan asked, moving back from the edge as the bridge creaked beneath her weight. Black's onyx eyes were unfathomable as he looked at her. Then, in a very serious voice, he said, "It might not be…but that's alright, because we won't be on it for long." Rowan raised her eyebrows.

"What?" Black moved behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"We're going to jump off it." He said into her ear. Rowan whirled around and her hair smacked Black across the face.

"What?!" She demanded, sticking a finger into her ear and trying to remember if she'd heard him right. "Run that by me again?" Sirius didn't crack a smile.

"We're going to jump." He said simply. "Off this bridge. Into the water. You trust me, don't you?" Rowan leaned over the side of the bridge again, staring down into the quiet water below. Sure, the bridge wasn't that far up, but when she thought about the prospect of jumping off it, it suddenly seemed miles high.

"It's not that I don't trust you, Sirius. It's just that…" She raised herself up on her heels, leaning over the edge a little father, then moved back to flat ground. "Just…" Black squeezed her hand.

"You're afraid?" Rowan nodded.

"Extremely." Sirius smiled warmly down at her, his eyes going soft again.

"Ro, do you think I'd make you do anything dangerous? I save that for myself." He chortled. Rowan looked up at him, at his haughty pureblood features and his slightly shaggy hair.

"I really don't want to know what you do in your spare time if you don't consider this dangerous." She said, shaking her curls. Sirius's dog like laugh echoed around the bridge.

"Ah, yea…the things I get up to with the boys are probably best left a secret." He said, taking her hand. Rowan looked at him.

"Are you ready?" He asked. Rowan looked at him, down the gorge, then back into Black's eyes again. He looked back at her, giving her hand a squeeze, and in that instant Rowan trusted him.

"Alright." She said, taking off her hat. "But if I die, Lily will never forgive you."

"Wouldn't expect her to." Black said, undoing the buckle of his jeans.

After they'd stripped down they moved to sit on the railing of the bridge, Black's hand tight around Rowan's as he eagerly counted down from ten.

"Five…four…three…two…"

"Stop." Black looked at her.

"What?" Rowan closed her eyes.

"I…I don't think I want to do this anymore. It's…"

"Ro, you said you were ready!"

"I know, it's just…so…far…" She began to feel faint as she looked down the gorge, and shook her head frantically, trying to rid herself of the queasy feeling. "Just so very, very far." Sirius smiled warmly at her.

"If you're really afraid, we don't have to." He said, sounding a little disappointed. "It's fine, really, though I'd really like to--"

"Good, see ya!" Rowan said, and she jumped off the railing into the water below.

The water was a pleasant temperature, not exactly warm but certainly not cold. Rowan dunked her head under the water, flipping her hair backwards as she surfaced and smoothing it away from her face as she looked up at Sirius, who was sitting, dumbstruck, on the bridge.

"The water's fine!" She called, flopping onto her back and doing a backstroke towards the river. Sirius watched her float down the stream.

"Oh, you're tricky Ro." He said, laughing. "Making me think you were going to spew into the lake then jumping in. You had me there." Rowan flipped upright, making circles in the water with her hands.

"Well what are you waiting for?" She cried up to Black. "Get your arse in here!"

"Oh, I'm definitely coming." Sirius called back, and he too jumped into the water.


	21. Chapter 21

Rowan Watkins was under pressure.

With the weight of so many tests, two rolls of parchment for Charms, her detention with McGonagall Friday night and the Howler from her mother she'd received earlier that morning for not remembering to write, she was feeling very stressed out indeed. With her thoughts so jumbled she barely realized where her feet were taking her, and before long she was walking down the stairs from the girl's dormitories, where she ran straight into Sirius, who stood at the bottom. He had his back to her and was laughing with James, but after Rowan smacked right into him and fell backwards on the stone steps, he turned and began to laugh even harder.

"Rowan!" He cried, offering her of his strong hands. She took it and he pulled her up, trapping her in a hug as she stood upright. "If I could find a way to get up those stairs I would. We swore you'd gone to bed already." Rowan raised a brow.

"Don't you have better things to do than stalk my dormitory?" She teased. Sirius pulled her closer, chortling.

"Ah, well…sometimes James and I get a little bored." He looked at Rowan for a moment, then moved in closer, inhaling deeply. "What perfume are you wearing?" He asked suddenly, still inhaling. "It smells wonderful."

"It's a new scent they call shampoo." Rowan said, darting under his arms and heading towards James, who was now standing by the portrait hole. Sirius shoved his hands in the pockets of his robes and strolled towards them, smelling the air. "No really, its amazing…" James rolled his eyes.

"If It really matters that much I'll have Lily steal the bottle next time she's up there, Padfoot." He said, grabbing Rowan by the arm. "We've got business to take care of, and we need you in taking care of it."

Rowan glanced over her shoulder at Sirius as James led her towards the portrait hole, waiting for any sign of objection. Rowan thought that the sight of James making off with his girlfriend would at least annoy Sirius a little, but she was wrong. Instead, he followed, opening the portrait hole for James and Rowan to exit. Rowan looked questioningly at James, who misinterpreted the look and let go of her arm rather hastily. "Don't want Lily to see me doing that." He muttered, blushing slightly.

The corridors were dimly lit, the torches flickering with each step the three took as they rushed down them. Despite the hundreds of torches that lit the corridors, they were not warm--on the contrary, they were freezing, hardly warmer than the air outside. Rowan shivered, cursing herself for not wearing warmer clothes. Seven years at Hogwarts evidently had never taught her that stone walls had no heat retention what so ever.

"What're we up to this time?" Rowan asked, rubbing her arms furiously in a vain attempt to warm them. James peered down the corridor, straightening his glasses, which were in danger of slipping straight off his long nose. "Just a bit farther…" He muttered to himself, completely ignoring Rowan's question. Behind her, Sirius gave an apologetic smile, shrugging. Rowan scowled.

After nearly ten minutes of walking, the three reached Filch's office. A single lantern swung from a long black chain dangerously close to the floor, flickering and barely illuminating the small wooden door it was supposed to be lighting. James put a finger to his lips and pushed Rowan roughly into a side closet, Sirius close behind.

"What?!" Rowan cried, squeezing her arms to her chest as Sirius moved inside and shut the door. Something prickly brushed against Rowan's neck and she jumped, only to realize it was a long, thin Nimbus suspended from the ceiling

"Why are we in a broom closet?" She asked, narrowing her eyes to get a better view. She was barely able to make out Sirius and James in the dark. They appeared before her eyes as two large, half black shapes, eerily illuminated from the light pouring in from under the door. "If you're in the mood for some sick threesome, I'm out of here." And she made for the door.

"No, no." James laughed, seizing her wrist. "Nothing like that. Wait just a moment, I'll tell you the plan." He gestured for Sirius to come closer and he obeyed, his onyx eyes glittering mysteriously in the dim light, casting an eerie glow over his haughty features.

"Right," James said, checking behind him to make sure everything was clear even though they were locked in a broom closet. He looked a little nervous, the way his eyes kept flicking towards the door at the smallest noises and Rowan's face, but also quite excited. "Dumbledore has planned something, and someone told me that there's details about it in old Filchie's office." He breathed, looking over his shoulder again as footsteps echoed down the corridor. James waited for them to pass then began again, sighing deeply after holding his breath for thirty seconds. Sirius shifted towards Rowan.

"We've got a plan." James said, taking from his robe pocket a violently orange box with a picture of a large, ribbon-like object zooming overhead a shrieking witch, who had her arms over her head. "This is a very large box of Whizzing Worms we picked up last Zonko's visit." Sirius nodded, his fathomless eyes dancing in the little light.

"And they're sure to distract Filch for awhile, he hates them to death."

"Right you are, Padfoot," James carried on. "While we release the worms and wait for ole' Filchie to wheeze along, you nip inside his office and search every inch of it for that information. He probably won't even realize that it's gone, musty old bat. Peter's got Mrs. Norris locked away in a broom closet near the kitchens and is watching out for anyone passing by until we get that info. Lupin is standing guard not too far from here, you'll hear a bang if he sees Filch anywhere near this Corridor. We're going to go upstairs now, unleash these worms and give you plenty of room to do the job--any questions?"

Rowan could feel them both staring at her, waiting for an answer. She blinked.

"Er…"She began, her eyes finding Sirus's, "Seems like you've got this pretty well planned out…and I really have no choice." Sirius let out his bark like laugh, though he was quickly silenced by a sharp glare from James, who turned and smiled warmly at Rowan.

"Of course you've got a choice mate…we'd just really prefer it if you'd agree to this, as we've kind of already set it up." Rowan shrugged, laughing in spite of her annoyance.

"Alright Prongs," She said warmly. "Count me in." James gave a small whoop and gave Rowan a swift hug, thumping her on the back like a brother. "I knew we could count on you." He whispered as he pulled away. "Be careful now…and make sure you bring this back." And he handed Rowan the little lantern he'd been carrying. With a quick wink to Rowan, James opened the door, peeked his head into the hall, then, deciding it was safe, motioned to Sirius. The two slipped out and headed down the corridor. Rowan waited until their footsteps had died away, then snuck towards the office door.

Using the mini lantern to guide her, Rowan knelt beside the doorknob, pausing for any signs of Filch. Her fingers fumbled around her bun for a moment before finding a tiny, silver pin, which she inserted into the keyhole and began to pick the lock. Lily had always laughed when Rowan mentioned this skill, deeming it pointless when you could simply use Alohomora, but there were times when magic just wasn't going to cut it…and this was certainly one of them. A spell might be much too loud and send Filch or some other unwanted guest prowling down the hall to find the source of the noise. Rowan gave the pin a final little push and with one sweaty hand turned the knob. The door swung open with a tiny click and she was in.

Not long into her search of Filch's office Rowan heard a loud scream and paused, snickering as a the ceiling shook with the thudding footsteps of many students on the move. What chaos Sirius and James must be causing… Rowan turned back to her work.

"Where to look, where to look," She muttered, her fingers clumsy with cold despite the warm glow of her lantern. She sorted quickly through a stack of papers on Filch's desk, but just as she got them back in near perfect order, taking great care to position them just so, her hand upset a spell book to the right. Rowan swore loudly as she realized the book was attached to many more underneath it, and her haste had caused them to slide, one over the other, to the floor in a loud, messy heap.

Rowan quickly snatched the tiny lantern from the desk. Holding it high over the books so she could see properly, she bent to pick them up, realizing with a jolt they were books only found in the restricted section of the library. Curious, Rowan set the lantern on the edge of the desk and picked up a thick book that resembled the one Snape had been reading by the Lake. The title was written in wide, loopy emerald script, and Rowan had to tilt it in the warm glow of the lantern to read the shiny title--Secrets of the Dark Arts. Glancing over her shoulder Rowan sunk down against the desk, opening the book to a random page and smoothing it's worn yellowed pages. She squinted at the drawing on the page and lifted the book up to the light, dropping it in horror when she saw what it contained. The book slid down the little pile of banned books and landed, it's pages splayed and folded, onto the floor. Rowan shook her head, trying to clear it of the image floating around inside it, the horrible picture drawn in thick black ink. She knelt down and picked up the book, flinching a little as her eyes came in contact of the image again-a large, fanged Thestral and Dementor posed together in a grisly sort of death-worshipping image. Shuddering, Rowan slammed the book shut and hastily stacked the spell books back on top of the other, not bothering to put them in their exact places. She wanted to have as little contact with those horrible books as possible.

The people upstairs were still screaming…obviously Filch hadn't made it upstairs yet and cursed the whole lot of them. Rowan picked up the lantern and swung it around the room, swinging it back to a tall, gleaming thing that caught the light. There, tightly packed in a corner, was a large silver file cabinet that stretched all the way to the office ceiling. Rowan crept towards it, glancing over her shoulder, then pulled open the first drawer she found. She jumped back as the drawer zoomed out to the opposite wall and then peered inside. The files were neatly stacked and filed, in great contrast to everything else in the office, which was shoved together and jumbled. Filch must have taken particular care with the cabinets, for they were spotless and perfectly labeled in neat, golden writing. After scanning the names Rowan began to realize they were those of Hogwart's resident rule breakers. Rowan smiled to herself, thinking of Sirius. He probably had an entire section with James.

Rowan pushed the drawer back to the other side of the room and slid it into the cabinet, locking it safely with her wand. Turning, she caught movement on the other side of the room and jumped, raising her lantern. However, it was only her shadow and thankfully not a wheezing Filch. Rowan gave a shaky laugh of relief and began to scan Filch's desk again, sorting quickly and making sure to place everything back it the right order this time around. The cuckoo clock on the wall behind her ticked painfully slow, and the stuffy, windowless room was almost suffocating. Rowan tugged at the neck of her robes, itching to slide them off, but she didn't dare. Instead, she began to rifle through a small purple box of important looking cream parchment. All of the words are printed in official looking emerald ink and baring official looking crests on crisp parchment and at long last, Rowan found it. With a little jolt of pleasure she pulled a small piece of parchment from the pile, thin, slanted purple writing that could only be the Headmaster's skating across it in urgent hand. Sinking into the rickety wooden chair behind Filch's desk, Rowan smoothed out the parchment and began to read.

Argus,

It's late, but I'm writing to you and the entire staff about my plans for a mandatory Dueling Club at Hogwarts. I've spoken with the Ministry on this matter, of course, and they couldn't have agreed with me more when I came to them with the idea. If possible, I would like for you to have ready by no later than Monday a set of equipment (you know the kind) and a letter to the Auror office, asking what time would be most suitable for classes.

Yours sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore


	22. Chapter 22

Rowan felt dazed as she folded the parchment in half again and slide it into her robes. Mandatory dueling? At Hogwarts? She took out the letter again and read it hastily, making sure she'd read it right. Yes, unfortunately. She had. But why on Earth would Dumbledore have everyone join dueling? Surely You-Know-Who isn't going to barge into the school anytime soon, especially with Dumbledore as Headmaster. The whole idea could be just that', thought Rowan, turning the note over in her hands, 'just an idea.' And to add to that though she wasn't exactly sure if Filch could read, so…She slid the note back into her robes and rose from the armchair. She was just heading towards the door when she realized that the upstairs had suddenly become very still. No one was screaming anymore, and no frantic running or stomping could be heard. Rowan stopped abruptly, wondering if she should hide or make a run for it. She was deciding when it all happened.

From down the hall she hear the loud blast from Remus's wand signaling Filch was near, and before Rowan even have time to think, the door to the office blasted open and Filch came wheezing into the office, mopping sweat off his forehead as he examined the room with his beady eyes. Rowan had just enough time to hop behind the door unnoticed and was breathing so little her chest was beginning to ache and her head becoming light. She hoped Filch would find whatever he was looking for soon and leave, but of course she could never be so lucky. He took a step sideways, panting, and Rowan's wand arm instinctively raised. Filch paused, looking towards the door at the slight sound of movement, then began to peer around the dark room-Rowan had extinguished the lantern just in time.

Filch's eyes suddenly fell onto his desk. With an excited wheeze he lights the candle sitting upon it, his eyebrows disappearing into his thin, matted hair as he smiled. "Ahaha, I've caught you Peeves!" He cackled, wringing his hands together. "I've got you good and cornered this time, you aren't escaping me, no…I've waited fifteen years to finally catch you at it and bring you up to the Headmaster…" He shuffled towards his armchair and sank into it just as Rowan had. "Ah, where are those papers…I'll get you in here Peeves, then take those permission for whipping orders out and convince Dumbledore to see reason…oh, the old Headmaster did not mind the children being shackled like prisoners, great man he was…" He sat there muttering to himself, looking quite deranged as he sorted through the mass of papers on his desk, his hands shaking with excitement. His wheezing echoed around the room and Rowan dared not close her eyes in fear of being found. Determining she was safe under the cover of darkness, Rowan crept towards a large, cluttered bookshelf towards her right, sliding behind it quickly and sinking down with her knees pointed towards the wall to her left. Crouched low as possible, her back beginning to ache and her long legs tangled over the other so as not to be seen, Rowan pressed on the top of a large spell book, causing it to slide diagonally on it's shelf and gave her a small amount of space from which to watch Filch. The note was a wrinkled ball of parchment in her sweaty hand, her fingers cramping up from holding onto it so tight.

'This whole idea is' stupid', Rowan thought to herself as she watched Filch ransack his office for the papers, cursing his organization. 'Who really cares what Dumbledore's up to?' She tightened her grip around the note, having have a mind to throw it straight at Filch's oily head and be done with the whole thing. She was uncomfortable, curled up in the dark, and terribly let down. She had been expecting the note to be something grand and concerning the Order, but then again, why would Dumbledore put something like THAT in Filch's office? Rowan wondered where Sirius had run off to, whether he cared she was still in this office, twisted and aching behind a bookshelf with a man that seemed unlikely to ever leave his office. Add in the fact Rowan couldn't see a thing where she lurked, and she was having a pretty great time. Rowan rubbed her leg as Filch thumbed through more papers, muttering to himself in the near darkness. If he thought the worms upstairs were truly Peeve's work and that he was going to catch him, Rowan thought hr was doing an awful job of persecuting him. It had already been at least six minutes since he had burst in, maybe more, and knowing Peeves, if he had done the deed and not James and Sirius, he would have been zooming around the Dungeons by now, smashing foul smelling jars of pickled Merlin-knows-what.

At long last the old man found what he had been looking for, and with an excited wheeze he pulled an aged piece of parchment from a crack in the wall and rubbed his hands together eagerly. "Tha's it, tha's it…:" He muttered, kissing it lightly. "After all these years…" He set the paper on his desk for a moment then picked up the candle, moving towards the doorway. Realizing he'd forgotten the paper he walked backwards and snatched the paper from the desk once more. He began to head for the door again but suddenly turned very slowly, his jowls quivering. He peered through the candle's dim light at the bookcase, and with a jolt, Rowan realized he must have seen her.

Filch slowly set the paper back onto his desk and crept closer to the bookcase, candle held aloft. As he neared Rowan was greeted with a rank, meaty smell. Crouching low, Filch pushed back the book Rowan had moved aside. Sticking his face through the space he created, Filch looked around the back of the bookcase, laughing at the sight of Rowan's legs. He chuckled softly.

"Well, well, well…looks like we have a visitor. Ickle first year or trouble making seventh, lets find out." And he reached through the hole.

For some strange reason, at that moment Rowan found herself really wishing she'd worn pants, as she did not like to think about the view he would get if he moved to the side, where her pink knickers must be showing clearly.

"Ah, if only my eyes were a little stronger…come out for Filchie?" He panted, moving more books aside. "Not obeying tonight, are we? Well, well, well…looks like there's going to be double punishment then!" He gave a wheezy giggle and threw more books to the floor. "Isn't that right, girly?" He asked, his eyes traveling up Rowan's stocking covered legs. Rowan shuddered, inching backwards as more and more candlelight fell upon her. Filch scowled, his jowls aquiver.

"Inchy inchu, you won't escape Filchie!" He wheezed horribly, knocking off more books. Rowan was royally stuck now. She felt the cool stone wall behind her with her free arm and realized if she went any further, the bookcase would be useless. There was no way she could slip out the door without Filch seeing her. Even a nasty old man can hear someone leaving, and what would she do once she was out in the lit corridor? Rowan didn't have any concealment charms, and her Transfiguration had always been poor. Shame, really, since transforming herself into a teakettle or a rat would have been quite useful in this situation.

Filch knocked aside more books and moved the candlelight, so that it now shone upon Rowan, who's eyes widened and burned in the sudden light.

"Aaaah….what have we--ARGH!" Filch fell back in agony, clutching at his face, and Rowan darted out from behind the bookcase. She'd jabbed him in the eyes when he had looked through the bookcase, and now she was feeling around the wall for the door as Filch continued to rub his eyes and curse everything from Hogwarts to hippogriffs behind her. At long last Rowan's hand brushed against something cool and metal and she twisted it. Too bad she was leaning right against the door.

Tumbling backwards from Filch's office Rowan landed flat on her back in the middle of the corridor, her skirt riding up her thigh. Rubbing her head Rowan stood, hastily tugging her skirt. The corridor was deserted…it would be quite easy to just run back to the dormitories, but, as usual, Rowan could never be so lucky. She heard him before she saw him.

"You!" Cried a cold, deep voice. Rowan whirled around to see Severus Snape, flanked on each side by three large Slytherins she (along with everyone else in the school) knew to be aspiring Death Eaters. They were strolling down the corridors as if they owned the place, Snivellus flapping as he walked in an overlong black robe, eerily batlike, his cronies wearing identical thuggish grins and all giving off the impression that, if they really wanted to, they could crack your skull in an instant. From Filch's office Rowan heard someone stumble and curse, obviously Filch was still having eye trouble. How hard did she get him? One of Snape's cronies laughed unpleasantly.

"Isn't that Sirius Black's little lady? " He grumbled, taking a step closer to Rowan. Rowan raised her wand, staring them down. Her hair had all but come loose from it's bun and now fell in a tangled mess around her face, which shone in the torch light with beads of sweat. Severus drew his wand lazily, smirking at Rowan as he did so.

"Why yes," He drawled, stepping forward. "It _is_ Sirius Black's girl…" His lip curled unpleasantly. "And James Potters…and that whackjob Remus Lupin's…" The other Slytherin boys laughed roughly beside Snape, who was stroking his wand. "Hmm…and wouldn't you know, probably that loser Pettigrew's girl as well. You know how they share everything." He said airily. Rowan raised her wand higher.

"You have no idea what you're talking about, Snivelly." She growled, bristling at him. Snape looked mildly surprised.

"Oh, I don't, do I? Not so brave without your boyfriends, are we?" His friends laughed again, and Rowan recognized one of them to be the Mulciber that Lily had complained so often about…..Rowan pushed her hair out of her eyes, her wand still raised, chest heaving.

"I'm not so brave without my _friends_? " She demanded, putting extra emphasis on the word. "I'm the one who is standing here ready to fight you alone, while you're flanked by three people!" Snape laughed bitterly.

"Well, yes, valid argument I suppose. But you've got none of that usual swagger you adopt when you're out with the boys…none of that ever so endearing…hmm, what is the term im looking for? Ah…" His lips curled into a mocking smile, revealing yellow, crooked teeth. "Spunk." Rowan sighed heavily, containing all her anger. She pushed her hair off her neck, her hand shaking ands sweaty around her wand. Any moment now…

"Endearing spunk?" She said acidly. She smirked, her eyes boring into Snape's. "Well at least there's something positive to say about me. Nobody ever has anything pleasant to say about a little oddball like _you_." At these words Snape's smile disappeared completely, to be replaced with a thin pink line. His face was now tinged with pink and he was shaking, his wand trembling in his hand.

"Don't…you…insult me!" he sputtered. "I…am worth…more than you…ever…will be…Your head is filled with nothing but…but…stupid prank plans and thoughts of Sirius Black.….How can you honestly say that you are better than me?" His disbelief was waning; anger was taking over. His cheeks were now a bright, blazing scarlet and his voice was shaking, words coming out harsh and strong. "Who is the one that's cheering for her friends from the sidelines when they torture me for no reason at all, other than the fact that I'm _strange_?" His anger made him bold, and he stepped towards Rowan, who did not back away.

"I may be alone, but I prefer it that way. I'd rather not spend my time with people who could care less about me….." He pulled a mock sad face that was even nastier than his sneer. "And _wittle_ Rowan Watkins thinks all these big people care about her…honestly, the funniest part of this whole sorry situation is you and Black. How you really think you're the only one he's been kissing at the end of the day. Black's never cared about anyone in his life, as he's shown on more than one occasion," Snape's lip curled bitterly. "And I doubt dating you will change that."

Rowan didn't know what made her do it. At this jibe about my Sirius she stuffed her wand into the pocket of her robes and lunged at Snape, punching him straight on the nose. Rowan pulled her hand away, satisfied at a sickening crunch that told her she had broken his snotty nose. Blood spurted onto Snape's robes as he tried to quench the steady flow. The Death Eaters on his sides curled their hands into fists, and Snape staggered backwards, falling to his knees and beginning to search for his wand with one hand while clutching at his bleeding nose with the other.

"Where…dammit!" He cried, as his wand was accidentally kicked sideways by one of his thugs. As they approached Rowan, Snivellus still rooting around on the floor for his wand, she needed no telling--her mind yelled RUN! And before the message even got across she was sprinting down the corridor, dodging jinxes being fired left and right and throwing some over her shoulder as she skidded through the hallways, blood from Snape new on her hands and her wild curls falling into her face and blocking her view. Rowan ran and ran, passing bewildered looking people who were chatting before curfew. A few of them joined the fray, shouting out jinxes in attempt to stun the Slytherins. Some of them worked. Mulciber was caught in a skilled Jelly Legs Jinx and danced around the corridor near the kitchens, while a few steps down another thug fell over with a heavy thud. Some raven-haired third year had Petrified him, and seeing what she'd done she began to jump around and squeal in delight as Rowan streaked past her. Rowan stumbled up the stairs, panting, to the Gryffindor tower and came to a gasping halt near the Fat Lady.

"Password?" She chirped, not even noticing her exhausted appearance.

"L…lemon bar."

She swung open to admit Rowan and she fell forward onto the rug at the entrance, gasping for breath, her curls a mess and her face shining with sweat. The last thing she saw was a pair of anxious looking grey eyes and one very scared looking James rushing towards her behind them.


	23. Chapter 23

"You know you're lucky you haven't been expelled."

Rowan opened her eyes to find herself lying in her bed, moonlight streaming down my legs, wrapped tight in ruby red covers. She sat up and saw Lily, makeup less and in her dressing gown, brushing her hair on the side of the bed. Rowan blinked at her, and she scowled.

"Honestly, what they put you through…." She shook her head in disgust. "I have half a mind to march downstairs and tell James what I think about all this, maybe end this relationship I've started with him because he's been nothing but a prat the entire time we've been in it!" She pounded out the last words, and made to stand up but Rowan seized her wrist. At her friend's touch she looked down, her eyes wide, but it was only for an instant. They immediately hardened again and she sat down, crossing her arms.

"Don't do that." Rowan said, stretching out her legs. "That'll kill him." Lily snorted indignantly. "Kill him? Ha! Being dead would improve that toerag an awful lot, you can tell him that personally if he sees you again." Rowan gave Lily a look.

"You know full well you don't want James Potter dead, you're in love with him. And what do you mean _if_ he sees me again? Going to lock me up in the common room and walk me to all my lessons?" Lily glared at her, her emerald eyes slits.

"I've half a mind to!" She cried, standing up and flinging her brush angrily onto her bed. A couple rows down, Tabitha let out a long snore and rolled over in hers.

Lily sighed impatiently then continued. "Look at you!" She puffed, pacing up and down at the foot of Rowan's bed. "It's ridiculous, the thing they put you up to. I know it is your own doing, but they shouldn't volunteer you for these things. It's not right Rowan, you of all people should want to give women some power in this society." She moved to the window, gazing out over the grounds. "Lord knows we need it." She whispered, turning back around.

Rowan opened her mouth in protest, but she was unable to find words to express her emotions. How dare Lily think that Rowan let boys control her? The nerve.

"They ask a favor of me and I do it!" Rowan cried, flinging her covers off her legs and moving to stand next to Lily, who backed away. "They're friends, I helped them out, that's what friends do, and Sirius and James always do the most dangerous work themselves!" She cried, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"They always put my safety, and that of those around them, first. I…they…it's just…I…" But Rowan gave up, tearing at her hair and falling back down onto her bed. "They…AAAGH!" She suddenly cried, flopping onto her back and pulling her feather pillow over her head.

At Rowan's mini tantrum Lily seemed to soften, finding Rowan's anger a sign to lay off the nagging. She knelt down beside Rowan and tenderly took one of her hands, trying to pry the pillow off Rowan's head.

"For god's sake, Rowan!" She giggled, tugging at Rowan's fingers though her grip remained rock solid. "Let go!"

"No!" Rowan shouted into her bedspread, her voice coming out soft and muffled. "Just let me die under here, it's not a problem." Lily laughed and pointed her wand at Rowan. "You made me do it. Levicorpus!"

And Rowan was lifted into the air. She kicked for awhile, struggling against the invisible bonds. Lily moved to stand beneath her, pocketing her wand with a smirk. For awhile the green searched the blue, then Rowan stopped thrashing and, in spite of her anger, smiled at Lily.

"You got me." She giggled, letting herself go limp. "Now set me straight and give me a good talking to." Lily laughed, and a moment later Rowan was sprawled out on her bed, Lily sitting next to her once again.

. "Listen to me Rowan…no, just listen!" She snapped, for Rowan rolled her eyes, expecting another talk. She took Rowan's hands in hers and looked into her eyes, this time frowning slightly.

"I only say those things because I worry about you! I'm bad as any mother with that, you know full well that I could never stand to see you hurt. You're the closest friend I have in this school, though it might not always seem like It." Rowan rolled my eyes at her speech.

"Corny." Lily sighed a little impatiently, then continued.

"Anyways, without you I don't know what I'd do. You're always so fun to hang around with, I'd hate to lose that…You do so many dangerous things, stupid things, you know that? I'm just afraid you'll get hurt or something…die completing some strange task or another. You're many more things besides fun though, y'know. You're quite smart, very funny, incredibly charming….."

"Ah Lily, you don't have to flatter me to make me feel better." Rowan joked, toying with a loose string on the end of her blanket. Lily smirked.

"Since when do I say things I don't mean?" She asked, her emerald eyes blazing, boring into Rowan's. She was testing her, daring Rowan to contradict her, but Rowan knew better. Lily took her silence as a sign to continue.

"Honestly, sometimes I wonder if you even have a brain in there Rowan." She said, returning to her business-like manner.

"So…" Rowan began lightly, eyeing Lily. "When I collapsed like an idiot on the rug of the common room floor…which, by the way, I don't advise doing, seeing as it's very uncomfortable…" Lily laughed, and Rowan continued.

"Ah, well, when I fell…did Sirius…you know…have any reaction at all?" Lily let out a loud giggle, causing Amy Simmons two beds down to chuck her Potions book at the two. It landed with a dull thud next to Lily's hand and she threw it back, arching her arm high above her head and throwing it full force at Amy, who shot up from her fetal position in pain.

"Well of course." Lily said simply, ignoring the whimpers now coming from Amy. "He was worried. He kept saying your name over and over until I finally carried you off to bed. I wouldn't be surprised if he's standing at the bottom of the stairs right--Rowan, where on earth are you going?!" She cried. But Rowan didn't really have to tell her. She already knew. Rowan pulled a thick dressing gown over her nightdress and tore down the stairs from her dormitory to the balcony overlooking the common room, leaning over it and surveying the scarlet and bronze furniture for any sign of a tall teenaged boy.

Sure enough there he was, asleep on the overstuffed red sofa that lye haphazardly in the middle of the room, his handsome face perfect even as it slept. Rowan smiled, drawing her gown tight around herself and descended the steps, wincing at their cold stone surfaces. (In her haste she couldn't be bothered with socks) She padded over to him softly and knelt down by Sirius's head, stroking his hair softly. In the few weeks since he'd gotten it cut it had grown out to almost it's old length and Rowan smiled, wrapping a delicate black curl around her finger. He was such a diva-his hair was as soft as Rowan's and probably just as sweet smelling.

"Hey…" Rowan said softly. "I'm not dead." Sirius did not stir, his leg merely gave a feeble twitch and Rowan rolled my eyes, leaning against the couch. So much for the romantic wakeup. Rolling back the sleeves of her robe she moved to stand over him, ready to shake him awake, when she noticed something-Sirius was smiling. People don't usually smile in their sleep-unless, of course, they were Rowan's mother, who was just simply weird that way. Rowan leaned in closer, examining his face to see if it was really a grin or just a trick of the light when suddenly she was captured in his arms, and pulled next to him on the couch. Sirius laughed at Rowan's startled expression, giving her hair a tousle.

"You look like you've just seen a ghost." He said. Rowan gave a shaky laugh, pushing her hair behind her ears.

"Ya, well…maybe I did. You never know." Sirius smirked, his fathomless onyx eyes searching Rowan's. They had the same softness they had had at the bridge, and he now wore the same tender expression as he looked up at her. With his thumb he brushed a wisp of bright red hair away from her lip, cupping her chin in his strong hands. Butterflies were bursting in Rowan's stomach, her chest full of fluttery excitement for what she knew was surely to come.

"Close your eyes." Sirius said smoothly. Rowan raised an eyebrow but did so, waiting. Nothing happened….

Suddenly, she was lying flat on the floor and Sirius next to her, laughing, his hair falling into his eyes.

"Bet you didn't see _that_ coming!" He cried, holding his sides. "You just did a total 360!" Rowan rubbed the back of her head where it had hit the floor.

"Real romantic Black." She said, though she was grinning. "Here I was, all ready for you to kiss me, and you decide to deck me inste-" And then it happened. One hand on the floor above Rowan's head to steady himself, Sirius had leaned in to kiss her as she lie on her back. The only thing that mattered at that moment was the feel of his lips upon hers, and the delicate pounding of rain that came from the tall window behind them. Thunder rumbled far off in the distance, sign of an approaching storm, and the fire spit and crackled, giving the darkened room a warm, red glow. It was all so terribly romantic and Rowan was enjoying every second of it until a door slammed open and the two both looked up to see Lily, standing at the top of the stairs with about every girl in the dormitory behind her. Sirius laughed and ran a hand through his shaggy hair, smiling down at Rowan. "So much for that romantic moment, eh?"

Rowan mumbled something incoherent.

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	24. Chapter 24

"So Dumbledore reckons we need to form a dueling club?"

It was a Tuesday night, the moon nothing but a sliver high in the starry sky. The boys, Lily and Rowan were in the Common room, the Marauders' favorite table overflowing with paperwork as a steady rain pounded down on the windows like drums. Thunder rumbled and, as usual when they were together, everyone's minds were anywhere but their schoolwork. It was a shame, too, because Rowan really needed to fill out a chart for Transfiguration that she'd put off since Tuesday. She yawned, sliding her Quill between her fingers.

"Yea, that seems to be the general idea." She said in response to James's question. "The note's in my bag, if you need it." James nodded and pulled Rowan's overstuffed bag onto his lap, rummaging around in the side pockets for awhile until his hand resurfaced from the mess, clutching the crumpled note. He unrolled it on the desk over his Charms assignment and smoothed it out, leaning in close to read the thin purple writing. His eyes skated over the parchment, then he crumpled the note again and tossed it to Sirius, who'd been craning his neck to try and read it.

"What a waste. Never knew a bloke that writes in purple ink." He grumbled, obviously let down. Rowan snatched the note from Sirius and stuffed it back into her bag again.

"Well, to each his own I guess." She said, her eyes wandered towards the window, where the little table was reflected as if looking into a high black mirror. "But obviously Dumbledore knows he's out there, somewhere…the Dueling might be pretty useful, don't you think?"

Sirius leaned back in his chair, smirking.

"I don't need that rubbish." He said lazily, tossing his hair out of his eyes. "Defense is teaching me all I'll need to know."

Remus, who had been quiet for quite some time, pushed his Runes translation aside.

"I agree with Rowan." He said simply. He turned to Sirius. "Defense can only teach us so much."

James laughed. "Well, long as they give me plenty of Slytherins to jinx I'm in."

"He shouldn't even bother training them," Sirius spat. "Everyone knows the whole lot of them will just end up using what they've learned against us."

Lily scowled at him. "Not all of them can be bad, Sirius." She said wisely. Sirius just shrugged, his eyes narrowing, and Rowan knew he was thinking of Snivellus. To his right James's face was alight with excitement, his hazel eyes shining mischievously as they did whenever he had a brilliant idea up his sleeve or saw Lily. A wide grin was slowly spreading across his face.

"What are you so cheery about?" Remus asked, looking slightly alarmed. James smirked, and from underneath the table he pulled out a worn looking piece of parchment.

"If anyone knows about this Dueling Club," He said, giving it a small tap with his wand, "It'll be Hagrid."

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The six of them made their way through the sodden grounds, the shoes filling with water as they stomped through numerous puddles. (James couldn't resist them)Just as Sirius was beginning to go on about his robes being all wet, they finally reached the hut, thick puffs of smoke streaming from the tiny chimney. James strolled up the dirt walk and rapped quickly on the door, his usual greeting. There was a scraping sound as a chair was pushed back and several scuffles and barks, then the lock on the door was fiddled with and finally undone. It swung open and there stood a Hagrid, his boarhound puppy Fang yipping at his side. He was much scruffier than the last time anyone come down to see him, and his long brown beard opened to reveal a wide, cheery smile that spread to his twinkling black eyes and high, ruddy cheeks.

"Argh, yeh lot!" He cried, his booming laugh echoing around in the darkness. "I should'a known!"

The sight of James on Hagrid's doorstep wasn't an unusual one by any means, he and the boys went to him whenever they had a problem too big to be resolved alone. Hagrid chuckled merrily and stepped back to admit the little group. Wringing the water from their robes they moved into the hut and sat around Hagrid's giant dinner table while he bustled about, pouring them flowery smelling tea from a pot suspended over the fireplace. He pulled up a large chair from the corner of the room and wrapped his massive hands around his own steaming mug, beaming around at them all good-naturedly.

"All righ', boys?" He asked. James nodded, thumping Hagrid on the back like a brother.

"Never felt better mate." He said, taking a long sip of his tea.

"Wonderful." Smiled Sirius, his eyes flashing towards Rowan.

"Splendid." Said Remus, though he looked rather peaked.

"Fine, yeah." Peter chirped, raising his mug to his lips.

Hagrid's eyes flashed to where Lily and Rowan sat together, and he smiled warmly.

"An' you, Ro'an, Lily-feelin' alright?" They gave him dazzling smiles in return.

"Feeling just fine, thank you." Lily said politely.

This tea is really delicious, Hagrid." Rowan said, taking another long sip. Hagrid chuckled.

"Thought ye'd enjoy tha'." He said, pushing a tiny pink packet across the table towards her. "Rosehip and Hibiscus, thought I might' try summat a little different." Rowan pocketed the little packet with a smile.

"Thanks!"

Hagrid winked.

They drank their tea in silence for awhile, before James set down his empty cup, smacking his lips.

"So-" He began pompously, "Hagrid…" Hagrid blinked back and him.

"We have important matters we wish to discuss with an established man such as yourself." Hagrid raised his brows at this, chuckling softly.

"Oh, do yeh now?" James grinned deviously.

"Oh yes. We figured if anyone you'd be the one that would know the most about it, being such a trusted colleague of the Headmaster's." Hagrid's chest swelled with pride at these words and he sat up a little straighter in his chair.

"Tha's right…Dumbledore trusts meh an awful lot." An odd expression flickered over his face. "More than I deserve sometime, though." He added a little sadly.

Lily reached over and gave his arm a consoling pat. "If anyone deserves the trust of Dumbledore it's you, Hagrid." She said soothingly, setting her cup aside. "You're probably the bravest man we know."

Hagrid still looked a little down, but Lily's words appeared to brighten him a little, and a few seconds later he was back his cheery self. On her left, James gave Lily the thumbs up.

"So what did yeh kids want with me this time?" Hagrid asked.

There was a pause, then James spoke.

"We have received information from an undiclosable source that our Headmaster is planning to train us in combat, sir," He said officially. Hagrid's eyebrows raised higher into his busy hair.

"Ah, did yeh now." He said again. James nodded.

"In the form of mandatory dueling classes. Do you know anything about the matter?"

He looked at Hagrid expectantly; Hagrid's eyes seemed to have lost some of their sparkle.

"Well, yeh…I do know sumthing…" He said, shifting uncomfortably in his chair, "but I don't know if Dumbledore'll wan me telling' yeh….nosy kids, that's what yeh lot are!" He exclaimed suddenly, causing them all to jump. Rowan spilled some of her tea down her front and Hagrid chuckled pouring her more tea to make up for the amount she'd spilled.

"But I guess it wouldn't hurt to leak a little information," Hagrid began, moving around the table as he refilled everyone's cups, "Long as yeh don't go yellin' it to the whole school. Dumbledore wants to keep this secret until it's all set up, yeh see…he's having things brought it 'specially for it and all."

Sirius's eyes were wide as Hagrid explained this.

"He's bringing things in?" He asked excitedly, resting his elbows on the table. "What sorts of things?"

Hagrid chortled. "Well, I'm afraid I can't tell yeh tha'…but it's nuthin' really dangerous, Dumbldore's not the type to set kids up ter things like Chimaeras and the like…"

Everyone waited for him to continue, their full attention focused directly on Hagrid. Noticing he'd captured his audience's attention Hagrid blushed, his ruddy cheeks blossoming to scarlet red, though when he spoke it was in his usual booming voice.

"If yeh want 't know the truth, 'e's worried about You-Know-Who." He said meaningfully, his hands fidgeting around his mug. "Worried tha' he's getting' stronger. Dumbledore, bein' the great man he 's, wants yeh 't all be prepared in case…" He moved his hands from his mug and rose from his chair, moving to stand by the hut's tiny, only window. He crossed his arms behind his back, then looked back at the little group, all gathered around his table with their tea. "Well, in case the worst happens." He said solemnly, moving back towards the table and sitting down again in his chair. It creaked loudly as he leaned back in it, smiling rather sadly.

"Makes me nervous when Dumbledore gets worried…" He said, his beetle black eyes round and shining, "Means that something's goin' on. Summin' dangerous, tha's what." He took a long sip of his tea and smacked his lips, suddenly breaking into a wide grin despite the rather serious situation.

"Argh, look at you all." He said fondly. "All grown up now…" James laughed.

"Aw, Hagrid…we just look like grown ups." He said. "Truth is, we're still those whiny brats you met all those years ago." Hagrid smiled, the delicate lines at the corners of his eyes turning upwards and his eyes shining warmly.

"Ah, yeh're right….and Sirius lookin' to join The Order, he is!" Rowan was suddenly choking on her tea.

"Wha--what?" She spluttered, as Lily thumped her on the back. Hagrid's warm eyes rounded in alarm.

"Nu…nuthin, Ro'en." He said, pushing the kettle towards her. "H..have more tea, there yeh go--I was jus' jokin', no 'arm meant…'onestly…" But Rowan was staring at Sirius as if he'd sprouted two heads and a tail.

"No, Hagrid, that's alright." She said evenly, still not taking her eyes off Sirius. "I'm fine…I know that me and Lily are working for careers in Magical Law, but…" She stared into the bottom of her cup, at the last tiny spot of tea wallowing in the bottom, "I haven't heard anything about joining the Order…"

Across the table, Sirius was looking uncomfortable.

"Well, uhm…Rowan, I was going to tell you." He said awkwardly, not meeting her eyes. "It's just that I got so caught up in other things, y'know…lessons, our prank…you know."

"And yet you found time to tell James." Rowan said softly. Sirius winced.

"Now, who wants more tea?!" Hagrid asked suddenly, getting up so abruptly the table toppled over, nearly crushing Lily. Fang began to bark excitedly, bouncing around their legs and lapping up the spilled tea, and by the way Rowan was looking at Sirius, it was past the time to go.

"Thank you Hagrid, it's been lovely." Lily said, smiling at Hagrid as she seized Rowan's wrist and began to pull her towards the door. "We'll…stop by….later…" She grunted, tugging harder as Rowan dug her feet into the ground. Hagrid looked bewildered at the sudden change of events but made no comment, only nodded to Lily's explanation and began to mop up the spilled tea with a pink dish towel, swatting Fang away. Rowan was still staring at Sirius as Lily pulled her away, but he made no attempt to save her. With one last tug, Lily pulled Rowan out the door and Remus slammed it shut, giving Rowan a small smile before he turned and headed towards the castle.

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	25. Chapter 25

"You never told me you were going to join the Order!"

"Well, you never asked!"

Rowan had cornered James the next morning at breakfast (literally) and demanded he go on a little "picnic" with her. Under the watchful eye of Lily the two took their toast to the lake, where they sat near the shoreline, munching in huffy silence. Rowan had only just gone crazy on him after several minutes of light, falsely cheery conversation, and she was worried the famous Watkins temper was going to get the best of her in this disagreement.

"I shouldn't have to ask, Sirius!!" She cried, flinging her hands into the air so abruptly her last piece of toast flew out of her hand and soared into the lake. "The Order's some serious business, you're kinda supposed to, might be really quite nice if you would, tell the people who care about you that you're joining!" Sirius's face tightened, his jaw growing taunt just like it did whenever he was concentrating hard or going to snap. In this case Rowan couldn't quite tell, until he flung his toast angrily into the lake, where it landed neatly next to hers. There was an awkward pause, then--

"I can do whatever I want to! I'm a free man!" Sirius cried, standing up and heading towards his and James favorite beech tree. Rowan flounced after him, raging.

"Where the hell are you going?! I'm confronting you, stay put!" She demanded, digging her foot into the ground. When Sirius did nothing but continue to stomp away Rowan ran after him, catching up to him and last and pulling him around to face her.

"Good lord…" He muttered, rolling his eyes. "You're acting like my mother." Rowan felt her anger rising, and she had to try hard to keep herself from going full out crazy on Black. She took several short, relaxing breaths, then looked Sirius in the eyes and took his hand, which he tried to pull away. She tightened her grip and looked up at him, her lips slightly parted, and he resisted, his eyes softening a little as she looked up at him.

"You've obviously never watched a real confrontation." Sirius joked, smiling down at Rowan. He suddenly pulled away from Rowan and ran down towards the Lake again, laughing.

"Come on!" He cried, his hair falling into his eyes in the light breeze, "This is the dramatic part where I'm supposed to talk back to you and defend myself, woman!" Rowan crossed her arms, staring at him, but she broke her serious demeanor when he stuck his tongue out at her and scurried up the tall tree, propping his feet up in a little nook of branches.

"I told James…" He said sheepishly when Rowan climbed into the tree next to him. "And my parents, just to piss them off…" He laughed bitterly. "They've kicked me out for good now. Course, they kicked me out sixth year when I left for the Potter's, but now…it's pretty much official." His voice trailed off, his onyx eyes looking towards the sky, where they reflected the foliage above. He glanced at Rowan out of the corner of his eye, then looked back up into the tree. "Dumbledore does too…" He said the last bit very fast, as if it was unpleasant to say. Rowan nearly fell out of the tree.

"Dumbledore supports you?!" She cried in disbelief. "We don't even know if there's going to be a war and _he's supporting you_?" Sirius didn't say anything, just winced at Rowan's harsh tone of voice. Rowan didn't care. She knew she was yelling, and loudly, the several third years hanging around the Lake were laughing, sniggering as they realized Sirius Black was being told off, something that sometimes the teachers didn't dare do. Sirius didn't seem to be paying them any mind, but when he spoke his voice was hard and cold, and his eyes were no longer sparkling.

"I asked Dumbledore about it personally, after the feast." He said hollowly, still not meeting Rowan's eyes. "He told me that it feels like the time Grindelvald was in power…he said it feels like we have to fight again, and that the Order is going to need as much help as possible to accomplish it."

Rowan wasn't aware her mouth was hanging wide open until Sirius reached over and pushed her chin back up.

"You were drooling a little bit there." He said, suddenly sounding like his old self. Rowan grinned, not able to help herself. "Was I?"

Sirius laughed again. "Oh yea, all over the place." He said, using a nearby branch to steady himself as he sat up and leaned towards Rowan. "Right here." His fingers lightly trailed along her chin; Rowan swatted them away impatiently. She was in no mood for his flirtation, especially when she was still angry with him and stuck up in a tree.

"Stop distracting me from the subject, Black." She growled. To this Sirius rolled his eyes, ruffling his hair a little.

"Oh, so I'm Black when I'm in trouble and Sirius the rest of the time?" He moved closer. "But I distracted you? Good, I'll make a note of that, use it another time…." And he pulled out an imaginary piece of parchment and began to scribble on it with an invisible quill. Rowan scowled, swinging down from the tree to the patchy grass beneath it.

"So Dumbledore reckons that…that there really is going to be a war?" Sirius swung down from the tree and flopped onto his back, turning his head to look up at Rowan.

"Well obviously, I just said that…" He said irritably. "I can't believe that you, of all people Rowan, haven't picked up on this. You're usually more…insightful." Rowan stared at him.

"Insightful?" Sirius just shook his head.

"Never mind, never mind…" He sat up, taking her hands in his and looking her deep in the eyes. She did not object, and he gave a small smile.

"The signs are all there, Rowan. The strange disappearances, the headlines of torture and Death Eater rallying….if you stopped sleep walking long enough, you'd see that a bunch of the people here (Slytherins) are messing around with the Dark Arts in their spare time. Have you seen what Snivellus is reading lately?" Rowan had. The thick, morocco bound book that must have weighed only five tons. It was the sort of thing Remus might carry around with him, but something told her that there was no way that thing was a school book, no subject in her memory had anything that looked even remotely like it. Snape wasn't much of a reader anyways, so she'd figured the worst on her own. Sirius shook his head, a rather unpleasant look upon his face.

"Nasty little oddball's up to his watery eyeballs in that stuff. Swear he's got the Mark already…he went crazy on me when I almost touched his left arm in the hallway."

Rowan shrugged, smiling slightly. "We all know Snivellus hates human contact." Sirius frowned, a little crease appearing between his brows and he stood up, beginning to pace. Rowan lazily began to examine her nails.

"Ya, but there was another time…" He said, determined to make his point. "We had to roll up our sleeves or take off our cloaks for Potions, I think you were with Lily that day so you didn't see, but he kept his down the whole time. We were working with cauldrons and he was struggling. Flapping around like the giant bat he is, unable to cut anything…he ended up rolling up the right armed sleeve, but not the left." He moved to sit down on the rock next to Rowan again and opened his bag, fiddling with the latch a little longer than needed. "Why is that Rowan?" He asked. Rowan merely looked at him, giving him permission to continue. He looked over his shoulder at the castle.

"And Regulus. I'm beginning to suspect…"

"Suspect what?" Rowan and Sirius both jumped. It wasn't until their heads banged together Rowan realized how close they'd been sitting. Rubbing her temples, which felt as if they had surely just split open, Rowan looked up to see James, accompanied by the rest of the gang.

"Make room on that rock kids, Prongs is back." James said. He slid down next to Rowan, forcing Sirius to the ground. Remus buried his face in an Arithmancy book, and Peter scurried over to help Sirius up, who swatted him away, brushing off his robes.

"What're you doing out here?" He demanded, glaring at James. "Can't Rowan and I just talk?" James shrugged, stretching. He'd taken off his robes and was now just wearing his short sleeves, even though it was quite cool. He'd obviously been just showing off his Quidditch muscles to Lily, no doubt. He didn't answer.

"Don't leave us in suspense, the gang wants to hear who's winning the argument." Rowan giggled but fell silent at the look Sirius shot her.

"Why do you have to poke your nose into everything Prongs?" Black's bitter tone of voice caught everyone's attention. Even Remus, who usually never listened to anyone bicker, looked up from behind his book's thick pages.

"Chill Padfoot." James said, looking slightly alarmed. Rowan didn't think he'd ever heard Sirius snap at him like that before. "Rowan and I are just friends, I swear we've never talked about our secret future plans to marry in front of you--oops. Cat's out of the bag now, Rowan." He said. Rowan nodded, lifting herself from the grass and throwing her arms around James's neck.

"Well that's alright…we did already pick lovely names for our first children too." James nodded.

"I personally liked Harry, but Rowan was more for Robert."

"Enough with the play talk." Sirius snapped. James surrendered.

"Okay…but when did you decide you were joining the Order? I know you told me, and I told Lily and Rowan…and the rest of you." Remus was stuffing his ten pound book back into his bag.

"Yes, I've been wondering that as well." From the corner by the shore, Peter nodded eagerly. Sirius looked moodily up at them all, then, after deciding there was nothing to be gained by refusing to answer, cleared his throat, and glanced at Rowan. He began to speak.

"Well gang, I've decided, one this year's through and gone, to join the Order." He said all of this in a swift, business-y sort of voice, the kind McGonagall might use when giving instructions. "I'm joining, because those crocks don't know the first thing about Death Eaters." Rowan glared at him.

"And you do? " Sirius glared back, then when neither he nor Rowan broke eye contact, he got up and began to pace in front of the tree.

"Look at my family!" He cried, making wild, jerky motions with his arms as he walked. "If you don't think I don't know Death Eaters, feel free to stop by and check out the family tree."

"What, are you some sort of expert then?" Rowan demanded, standing up in anger. Sirius looked at her, temper raging.

"I just know what kind of things they've got on their minds!" He cried, suddenly stopping his rapid pacing and standing tensely before Rowan. "Reggie-my own brother!" He sank to the ground near James's feet and pressed his head into his hands, shaking it slowly. "He's been turned into some kind of drone by my mum and dad. Hell, mum and dad, of all people…" He shook his head in disgust, laughing bitterly. "They're getting cold feet hearing what You-Know-Who's really got up his sleeve. This is dangerous man, wizard, demon, what have you…" His voice shook. "And if you think I'm up for just letting innocent people walk right into the path of him, I'm afraid you're mistaken." He finished, glaring around at them all. There was a ringing silence. Then…

"Well, I think that if we don't fight.." Remus said suddenly, his expressive tawny eyes reflecting the warm morning sun as he spoke in crisp tone that carried throughout the warm air. He paused, gathering his words, than continued. "That if people aren't willing to stand up and protect ourselves, then someone must…and if anyone's going to from Hogwarts, I say Sirius." He sat down in a final sort of way, then stood back up. "And besides," He added, glancing towards the castle, "Dumbledore believes there's going to be a war…and," He turned to James, "I think that if Dumbledore believes it's true, then it is. If we cant trust the Headmaster, we can't trust anyone, that's the way I see it. I've long lost my trust in the Ministry. If Dumbledore says there's going to be a war, then I'm willing to fight."

Rowan was amazed, and, by the looks on the faces of the others, so were they. Nobody expected bookish Remus to be a warrior. If he was willing--

"I agree with Remus." Rowan said, standing and patting him on the back. They all stared at her, wide eyed, and she continued. "Who can we trust if not Dumbledore?" Sirius looked like he was having a hard time swallowing.

"No…no, no…" He whispered, shaking his head. "Rowan. No. It's…they'll rip you to shreds." It took a moment for his words to fully click in Rowan's mind, but when they did she marched right up to Sirius and looked up at him, her eyes hard and blazing as Lily's.

"You don't think I can manage myself, Sirius?" She hissed, feeling hot, angry tears welling up in her eyes. "It's a do or die sort of thing! Just because Im a _girl_ doesn't mean I can't fight for what's right!" James applauded, and Remus gave Rowan a weak smile from his post under the shelter of the oak tree. Sirius looked down at Rowan, who was panting, her chest heaving as she stared him down, her eyes sparkling with tears. He smiled slightly, putting his hands on her shoulders, gripping them rather more tightly than needed. Rowan winced and he loosened his grip slightly, looking at her with an odd expression she'd never seen him wear before. His eyes were soft around the edges as usual when he gazed own at her, but there was something different about them…and his smile. Instead, his perfect haughty features were arranged in a pleasant sort of expression, the one might wear when gazing at a newborn infant or a heartfelt love letter. Rowan looked away, a little embarrassed. She suddenly felt like she didn't need to know what his eyes seemed to be telling her.

"It's not that, you're not a stupid girl at all…I" He muttered, now looking slightly embarrassed himself. "In fact, I think that you're…" He paused. Rowan could almost see the wheels turning, folding over the other like clockwork as he struggled for the right words to say. Finally he found them, staring Rowan down with that same tender expression.

"Simply put, I love you." He said. Rowan looked at him.

"Wh….what?" She said in disbelief. He shrugged.

"I said I loved you." From their position by the tree, James and Peter let out a long "Awwww" Sirius shot them a look, one that clearly read "Shut it" then turned back to Rowan.

"That's why I'm worried about you wanting to join the Order. I don't want you in that sort of danger. Because if I let you go and lost you…" He turned away from her. "That would just suck, wouldn't it?" Rowan laughed at his change from formal tone. He turned back to her, smiling.

"Well, let me rephrase that." He said. "It would be heartbreaking. So…really think it over, okay?" He said. Rowan took his hand.

"I promise…and I love you too." She said, blushing. Sirius smiled, then snatched his hand away.

"Yea, yea, yea…I know. Enough with the mushy stuff." He walked over to where James sat and took an apple from his bag, taking a large bite.

"I'm taking a nap."

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	26. Chapter 26

The good mood Rowan had gotten from the event under the tree with Sirius vanished the next morning, when she hurried down to breakfast with Lily, laughing and eager to see him. She'd replayed the whole account to Lils that night, staying up well past midnight to squeeze in every last detail, from the softness of Sirius's eyes to the less important facts such as the weather. Tired but nonetheless cheerful, Rowan was ready to give Sirius a long kiss good morning when she saw her. Flirting with him. He flirting with her. And just like that, her good mood was gone.

"Sirius." She said, striding towards him, her robes billowing out behind her. Sirius's onyx eyes saw Rowan over the girl's shoulder and he hastily ended their conversation, moving over to Rowan and wrapping his arm around her shoulders as he guided her to a seat down the table near James.

"Good morning Ro." He said sweetly, oblivious to the crime he'd just committed. Rowan slid into the seat and began to thickly butter a piece of toast.

"Mmmm." She said, taking a bite. Sirius sat down next to her, searching her face.

"What's wrong?" He asked, taking an orange from a giant bowl in the center of the table. Rowan took another bite of toast.

"I'd say she's seen you turning on the charm for ole' Marlene McKinnon." James said from across the table. He sat with his arm around Lily, feeding her bits of egg off his fork. The whole thing sickened Rowan and she took a sip of her orange juice, nodding..

"Hit the nail on the head Potter." She said, not looking at Sirius. Sirius ran a hand through his hair.

"Rowan, listen…we were just talking, okay?" Rowan took another piece of toast, buttering it even more thickly than the last one.

"So you suddenly talk this close all the sudden?" She asked, moving offensively close to Sirius. He did not back away.

"I was not that close." He said, beginning to peel his orange. Lily smiled a little sadly.

"Well, I saw you Black and yes…" She said, "Yes you were." Sirius glared at her.

"We're just friends." He said pointedly.

"Friends…" Rowan said bitterly. "Yea, friends…why were you showing her your muscles?"

"Well, I wasn't intending too…" Sirius said, color beginning to appear in his cheeks. "Look, I wasn't flirting with her, alright? I love you." Rowan buttered more toast.

"Yep."

******************************************************************

.Rowan was still in a mood about that morning's event, and her mind was aching from the pressure of finishing a particularly nasty Transfiguration essay that she'd put off far too long. Rowan was now walking down the hall behind Lily, using her back as a desk of sorts as she frantically scribbled her conclusion, her quill quickly running out of ink as Lily turned down the corridor that lead to the Dungeons.

"It's not that I don't see Sirius as undesirable," Rowan said, staring to a new paragraph. "It's just I don't know why other girls would try to go after him when we're together."

"Well, he hasn't exactly been innocent, Rowan." Lily pointed out. Rowan stopped writing.

"What do you mean?" She asked, her quill tightening in her hands. Lily shrugged.

"This isn't the first time he's let some girl flirt with him. I thought you knew that." Rowan's grip on her paper slipped and it floated to the floor. Hastily saving it from the horde of trampling feet she suddenly jumped in front of Lily, who leapt back in shock.

"Away, crazy woman!" She cried, flailing her arms. Rowan shook her curls furiously.

"No. Not until you tell me all you know." Lily seemed to regret saying anything at all. Her mouth thinned and she rolled her eyes.

"Fine." She said. Rowan moved behind Lily again, surprised when she began to walk backwards down the hall, her emerald eyes shining.

"Turn my back on an mad woman like yourself, armed with a rather sharp quill?" She said, her eyes narrowing. "Do you listen at all in Defense?" Rowan sighed heavily, the quill and parchment falling limply to her sides.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you." She said sadly, her eyes falling to the essay in her hand. "But can you turn around?" Lily laughed, giving her friend a quick squeeze.

"Alright Rowan. Use me as a walking desk. Just be careful when you dot your I's, you puncture me with that Quill every time." Rowan giggled, dotting one with a particularly fierce jab.

"Like that?"

"Like that."

The rest of the day went smoothly enough. Thanks to Lily's help, Rowan succeeded in completing her essay just as they entered the classroom, dotting one last I as gently as she could. The rest of her lessons were dull as usual. The only eventful thing that happened the entire day was the paper swan Sirius enchanted to fly to Rowan with an apology burst into flames over the cauldron she and Lily were working at when Rowan added three wrong ingredients from the distraction. Grumbling about the extra practice she and Rowan were given for homework that night Lily hadn't wanted to speak to Rowan for the rest of the day, a fact Rowan was perfectly fine with, because she wasn't in much of a talking mood anyway at the end of the day.

With all the recent events that had been taking place, the prank plans lay forgotten in Lily's schoolbag, rolled up and as unformulated as when the girls had begun them in early fall. Ever since the group first drew out the basics in October they'd almost completely forgotten about the whole prank. It was now April, bright wildflowers dotting Hogwart's greening hillsides and rain constantly pouring from the sky. It was a rather dreary month, Rowan thought, but at least in placed Lily in a much cheerier mood when the sun peeked out later that night, and she approached Rowan in the Common Room, papers in hand.

"Up for a little planning instead of poring over that fascinating piece of literature?" Rowan looked up from _Charm Your Own Cheese _and smiled at Lily, closing the book and throwing it onto the nearby table.

"You don't know how glad I am to hear you say that." She said.

And again they were huddled together in their Dorm room, all settled around Lily's bed, where she sat Indian style, the plans laid out carefully in front of her. Alice gave Rowan a wink and unscrewed a tiny ink bottle, dipping her eagle feather quill into it and placed it at the top of the paper, beginning to write a header. The slightly fruity smell surprised Rowan as she wrote, and she looked at the paper to see bright red ink simmering as it flowed from the quill, looking eerily like blood.

"The whole idea is going pretty slow." Alice muttered, tapping the point of the quill on the tiny bottle to remove the extra ink. Tabitha nodded from the corner, looking sadly at the half blank piece of parchment.

"Yea, my minds got no ideas for this one." She said, crossing her arms and leaning back against the wall.

Lily gently lifted the quill from Alice's hands and placed it next to the parchment. "Yea, I can see my bright idea's left us all in a bit of a slump." She said. "But I think we need to completely start over. Staring at these unfinished plans isn't good for the thinking process." And with that she crumpled up the old plan and tossed it over her shoulder, where it landed onto the floor. Reaching across Alice she snatched another piece of parchment from her bedside table and smoothed it out in front of her, just like she had done with the old one. "Anyone have any ideas now?"

They all stared around at each other, waiting for someone to speak. Outside, the sunny weather had been replaced by dark storm clouds, lighting flashing dangerously in the distance as they rolled towards the castle. Tabitha drummed her fingers impatiently on her arm.

"Is anybody going to speak here?" She asked irritably, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

No one moved. Then, slowly, Lily picked up the quill. At once everyone's eyes settled on her, watching eagerly as she moved the quill over the parchment and began to sketch something lightly. Alice craned her neck, moving closer to Lily to get a better view and the rest of the girls leaned in too, forming a little bubble around Lily as she worked and blocking out most of the light. Lily didn't appear to mind them all so close. She continued to sketch, her tongue hanging out the side of her mouth and her brows pressed together as she finished, taking the parchment and showing it around to everyone.

"Voila." She said, giving the parchment a quick kiss. "It is done."

Everyone leaned in even closer to examine the little sketch in red, and as Lily guided the paper in Rowan's direction she saw, outlined in brightest red, a rather large cricket and a screaming girl with frizzy hair. Rowan gave an appreciative laugh and patted Lily on the back.

"Well, Lils," She said, beaming around at the girls, "Looks like you've solved our problem."


	27. Chapter 27

By the next morning things were mostly back to normal with Rowan and Sirius. That morning at breakfast he had placed a single white rose over Rowan's usual plate at the Gryffindor table with another paper crane apology. Admittedly when Rowan came down to breakfast and saw it sitting there she had half a mind to burn it again, but Lily threatened to snap her wand in two if she even dared touch it and looked like she meant it, so Rowan read it. Though definitely not poetic or even well written it was sweet, a bunch of apologies jumbled into one. Rowan laughed as she read the word sorry for what quite possibly the 100th time, then gave Sirius a quick hug as he sat down beside her. He smiled happily at her, realizing his note had done the trick, then began to put pancakes on his plate, swallowing them whole.

But if one person wasn't mad at Sirius, it was a likely bet someone else was, with all the mad things he got up to around the castle…and today it was Remus. Something had happened last night, evidently, that had made things between the two rather rocky. Rowan had been especially concerned about Sirius that morning after the apology, first with his slightly sulky demeanor over Remus's bitterness and then, as she got a good look at him on their way to Potions, a long, jagged red line running from his left ear up towards his hairline.

"Sirius, what happened?" She asked, raising her hand to his face. Sirius smoothed his curls over the mark nervously, shrinking away from Rowan as she tried to move his hair away to get a better view.

"It's nothing, honestly." He said loudly, as though his tone would assure her. "Really, Ro, I'm fine…no, it doesn't hurt…really, I'm fine…_Aaargh!_!" For Rowan had reached underneath his hair and found the mark, accidentally pressing upon it rather harder with her nails than she should have. The rest of Potions Sirius had his hand glued to the side of his face, trying to stop the bleeding and finally giving up and walking to the hospital wing with James. As they left, Rowan's eyes settled on Remus. She couldn't be quite sure, since his features were slightly blurred by the bright purple steam curling upwards from his potion, but as Sirius walked from the door, holding his face, she could have sworn she saw Remus smile in a satisfied sort of way.

It turned out that Remus didn't forgive and forget very easily. Rowan had never seen him so bitter. At dinner he barely spoke a word to Sirius, and when spoken too, he had a hard, steely tone to his usually pleasant, refined voice. He wasn't reading as much anymore but he was so brilliant it didn't matter; he was still getting better marks than anyone in the year. Though filled to bursting with good energy from his successful relationship with Lily, James was picking up on Remus's feelings with his radar like brain and it was affecting him as much as anyone else. They all sat in the Great Hall Tuesday morning, talking and laughing at their usual end of the Gryffindor table when James noticed Remus wasn't present…and, upon realizing it, neither was Lily. Ruffling his hair James began to look around, his eyes scanning every inch of the hall until he spotted him hovering near a corner of the Hall. He was in deep conversation with Lily.

"What's Lily doing over there with Moony?" He asked, straining his neck to get a better view of the two over the mass of students. After a few moments Lily patted Remus consolingly and lead him towards the direction of the library. James looked from Sirius to Rowan to Pettigrew, who was heavily buttering his fifth bagel, and sighed.

"Either Moony's in a state of depression or he's stealing my girlfriend…" He joked, though his face was set in a small frown. Sirius began to pour orange juice into everyone's glasses, giving James a little more than usual.

"Think the second one's more likely, mate." He said, though he wasn't smiling. James laughed uneasily. Throughout the rest of breakfast he kept glancing over his shoulder eagerly, no doubt hoping to see Lily reappear.

But he had no such luck. The bell rang for first period, and James was looking worried. Remus never missed a lesson, and come to think of it, neither did Lily. About twenty minutes later they both came strolling into Herbology, Remus looking rather happier than he had looked all week. He caught Rowan looking at him and gave a small smile, turning his hack to her to be scolded by a very upset Professor Sprout, who did look rather menacing despite her small stature waving garden shears at the pair of them. To everyone's surprise, he passed the table where Sirius and James were working together, totally ignoring Sirius, who nearly fell off his chair calling out to him, and seated himself next to Natalie McKinnon, his old girlfriend.

"What's he playing at?" Sirius whispered, his eyes darting towards Moony and back again. Rowan shrugged as Lily moved into the seat next to her, beginning to cut away sections from the giant Flutterby bushes they were supposed to be pruning. Snip, snip.

"Not sure," She said, leaning towards Sirius so as not to be caught by an irritable Sprout for talking. "But he's seen us whispering." Sirius looked up and Remus scowled, turning back to his bush. It might have just been Rowan, but she could've sworn he began cutting the Flutterby with more haste and anger than necessary.

**********************************************************

It was late at night when Lily cam trudging up the steps to the dormitory. She swung open the door and ran straight into Rowan, who stood behind it in a fuzzy dressing gown, arms crossed.

"You're up late." She said, moving towards her bed and sitting upon it. Lily's eyes narrowed, and she stalked over to her bed as well, pulling off her slippers as she sat down on it.

"You waited up for me? How thoughtful." Rowan rolled her eyes.

"Yea, yea…what were you doing down there? Before bed I saw you and Remus getting pretty cozy in the corner." Lily's head snapped up and her eyes blazed into Rowan's, hard and cold. Her cheeks were tinged with pink.

"It's not like _that_, Rowan." She growled, pulling her covers over herself and settling beneath them. "He's been having problems lately and needs my help."

"Why can't his friends help him with his problems?" Rowan asked, moving across the room to sit on the end of Lily's bed. "Isn't that what friends are supposed to do?" Lily turned to her side and pulled the covers tight over her shoulders, looking anywhere but Rowan, who now sat on her feet.

"It's not the kind of problems that guys can usually help out with, if that gives you any clues." It was silent for a moment, the only noise being Alice's soft snores, then Rowan laughed.

"Aaah, he's having _girl _problems." She said, giggling. "Well, who's the lucky lady?" Lily looked at her.

"He's made me swear not to tell a soul."

"Well that takes all the fun out of it." Rowan said, heading back towards her bed and crawling into it. "What does James think about all this?"

"He thinks me helping him with this situation is a bad idea, but he ended up going with it in the end."

"But why did he think--" Lily cut her off.

"Don't ask so many questions, Rowan." She said. She reached across her bed table and clicked off her glowing lantern. "Good night."

Rowan rolled over onto her back, staring blankly before her, even though all that was visible was darkness without Lily's light. Lily had never kept anything from her before…and certainly not when something was troubling someone so close to the two of them.

'But there must be a reason she's keeping things secret' Rowan thought, racking her brain for possible explanations. 'There must be.'Her mind buzzing, Rowan switched on her lantern, reaching under her mattress and retrieving a crumpled piece of parchment and a bent quill.

It was time to make another list.


	28. Chapter 28

It looked like Rowan was never going to find out what was wrong with Remus, but at least he was talking normally again. The next morning at breakfast he arrived, book in tow, and actually laughed with James when he told him of his and Sirius's new plans to torture Snivellus (when Lily was still upstairs, of course) instead of frowning and retreating to page 780-something like usual. Rowan couldn't help but notice he still barely spoke to Sirius, but she didn't think too much of it. There'd been times he hadn't wanted to speak to any of the Marauders before after some of the things they had done. (Mainly making Snivellus's life hell was only the tip of the iceberg)

Spring had now fully come, and the last few patches of snow covering the grounds were now melted, delicate flowers springing up in their place. With the weather so fine a Hogsmeade trip was definitely in order, and the following day a notice was pinned to the Gryffindor board, giving the date of a trip the following weekend.

"Excellent!" Lily cried once she'd heard the news. "I've had a horrible craving for a nice Butterbeer."

Spring Hogsmeade trips were always fun. They were topped only by winter ones, when Christmas carols echoed around the tiny buildings and nothing made one happier than sitting inside the warm Three Broomsticks, sipping a hot Butterbeer after coming in from the cold and joking with friends. When Rowan went just with Sirius, they'd spend at least two hours just mucking around Quality Quidditch Supplies, buying Broom Handle Polish and quality tail clippers and running their hands over the sleek new Nimbuses until the owner chased them out (ironically) with a broom. Of course, Rowan would then insist on going into Madame Malkin's, where she'd be abandoned by Sirius as she spent a half hour picking out new hair ribbons or a shade of lipstick. After that, they usually would order one milkshake, cheesy as it was double strawed, and a huge plate of cheesy fries. Honestly, Rowan though, if someone had never tried those cheesy, artery clogging little fries they hadn't lived. Ever since she and Sirius started doing this every Hogsmeade visit, the landlady there always had a smile and a huge plate of fries ready for the couple at their favorite table. (Sirius had to do some major charming, but Rowan knew she just generally liked them.) It also helped that Rowan was friendly with the landlady's daughter, Rosmerta. She worked there part times on weekends and usually sat with Rowan and Lily when they stopped by, talking and laughing. She was a curvy, sweet faced girl, always smiling or talking. In fact, Rowan had never actually seen her with her mouth kept shut.

The Three Broomsticks is where Rowan headed first on their first Spring trip to the little village, the Mauraders and Lily in tow. They all sat at Sirius's special table and ordered large Butterbeers. They were laughing loudly and a joke James had just told when she showed up.

"Hey Rowan." Rosmerta said sweetly, appearing at Rowan's side. Rowan looked up and smiled, making room for the girl by moving closer to Lily.

"Hey Rosie!" She cried, taking a sip of Butterbeer. "Have a seat." Rosie gave a girlish giggle and pulled a chair from the nearest table, sitting down in it and neatly folding her tiny hands in her lap, where she wore a long, frilly apron.

"How ya been?" She chirped, smiling at Rowan.

"Pretty good. How about you?" Rowan asked, draining the last of her Butterbeer. Rosmerta shrugged.

"Not too bad myself. Want my mom to hook you up with the biggest basket of fries she has?" It was official. Rowan loved this girl.

"Sure!" She said, looking towards Sirius. "Did you hear that babe?"

It all happened in what seemed like very slow motion. Sirius's head turned from James to look at Rowan, his curls falling gently into his eyes as he did so. Rosemerta, who had been fidgetting with a hole in her apron, looked up at the same time Rowan did and her eyes suddenly grew wide. Sirius looked at Rowan, then his eyes slid onto the Rosmerta beside her. His face drained of all color.

"Sirius, are you…" Rowan asked, not missing the exchange between the two, "Are you alright?" But he didn't have time to answer. Rosmerta suddenly jumped up, pointing her finger at Sirius, her bottom lip trembling.

"You!" She shouted, her eyes darting from Sirius to Rowan and back again. "You…and…and…and _her_!" She cried hysterically, throwing Rowan an extremely ugly look. Sirius stood up too, his face turning red as he stared Rosmerta down.

"Yea, me and her!" He cried. "Rowan's my girlfriend!" Rosmerta laughed derisively.

"Oh, don't you play that game with me." She said, placing both hands on her hips. "You told me when you took me out that you didn't _have _a girlfriend." Sirius opened his mouth but instead of words, a strange noise, as though someone was being gagged, came out. He had nothing to say. Rowan leapt up from her chair as well.

"You complete _arse, _Sirius Black!" She cried. Her temper broke, and she launched herself at Sirius, hitting every part of her that she could find. By now, the entire pub had gone silent, watching in shock as Rowan Watkins beat the living hell out of Sirius Black.

"Move aside, Rowan!" Tiny little Rosmerta cried, forcing her way between the two and swinging her fist toward's Black's chin, "Lemme have a piece of him!" But before she could hit him again a pair of strong hands seized her around the waist and dragged her, kicking and screaming, towards the bar. Rowan was in mid punch when another pair of hands, strong yet gentle, seized her around the waist and pulled her towards the door. Rowan's curls obscured her vision as she was dragged outside, but the last thing she saw inside the pub was people laughing, or shaking their heads rather sadly.

"Thought they were going to rip that boy apart." One withered old man said as Rowan was yanked past him.

The hands let go of Rowan after they had dragged her far from the pub and they turned her around, so that she now faced her captor. His name was Remus Lupin.

"Um…hey." He said awkwardly, taking a step back from Rowan as though afraid she might attack him too. Rowan looked at him, searching his warm tawny eyes, then collapsed onto a large crate marked with a thick black **FRAGILE**_. _She put her head in her hands, willing herself not to cry. Remus still stood, looking down at her, but thankfully he said nothing.

So Snape had been right after all….Rowan's throat felt tight, her head spinning. She wasn't the only one Sirius was kissing at the end of the day. He was kissing Rosmerta too, the Rosmerta whom she had always liked, and probably a few others. The image of Marlene McKinnon, smiling with her perfect black hair appeared in Rowan's mind and she closed her eyes, wishing it to disappear….

It finally clicked. Rowan had believed she was the center of Sirius's universe, the only girl he cared for in the world, only to realize he must not have cared very much for her at all to do such a thing. She thought of the owl necklace, its diamond eyes shimmering beneath her robes, and felt sick. How many other girls got a necklace just like it? It had seemed so special at the time, but now it was dead weight, pressing against her chest, tight against her lungs. It did not matter how much Sirius Black liked her, there would always be another girl on the side. Black liked women too much to settle down, and Snape had seen it plain as day. Had Lily also seen? Rowan remembered her telling her he hadn't always been innocent. Had she known all this time, but was afraid to say anything?

Rowan's thoughts drifted to the letters she and Lily wrote to each other over the summer. In nearly every letter she wrote Lily had called Sirius "A womanizing toerag worse than James Potter", yet she had allowed Rowan to date him, no objections. Of course her opinion of James had changed, but had it, over time, changed for Sirius? Right now Rowan saw the old opinion of Sirius. Was this man, the man she liked so much, just what Lily had said he was? Sure he was charming. Sure he was brave. Sure he was funny, clever and daring. But did all that matter when it came right down to it? Rowan didn't know what to think, or even feel, for that matter. She sat on the box, unmoving, wishing the whole thing would just end and she could go home. Just then, she remembered how Lily had told her about Remus's girl problems. She raised her eyes and found Remus's tawny eyes fixed on hers. He looked away, blushing, and suddenly Rowan realized-

She was Remus's problem.

"Fancy a walk?" Rowan asked, standing in front of Remus and offering him her hand. For a moment he looked confused, but then he smiled. Really smiled. The effect it had on him was amazing. His usually sorrowful face lit up and his eyes sparkled.

"Sure. That sounds great." He said. Rowan nodded, her throat still rather tight.

"C…can we go someplace that Sirius will never find us?" She croaked, looking at Remus sadly. He nodded.

"Sure. I have an idea."

The sky was a blinding opaque white, with hints of sunlight streaming through small gaps in the clouds and shining upon perfect little puddles in the road. The air was chilly but not bitterly so, and as they walked, Remus's hand timidly brushed against Rowan's. She surprised him by taking his hand boldly in hers.

Rowan walked aimlessly with Remus, having no idea where he other was going, until he stopped in front of, of all places, Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. Remus looked at Rowan, and she inclined her head towards the door.

"After you, sir." She said.

"No, it's always ladie's first." Remus said politely. Rowan smiled and stepped through the little pink door. Her jaw dropped.

The little pink bell over the door chimed daintily as Remus entered, and the two were engulfed in a strange, violently pink and frilly world. The curtains were massive, reaching all the way to the floor, thick and lacy, and dyed a bright pink. Little hanging baskets containing small, leafy plants hung over the tables and poured little pink confetti hearts on the couples that sat beneath them. The salt shakers were pink and would randomly hum a few bars of "A Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love" as the couples talked, and the wooden floor even had a pinkish hue. Rowan raised an eyebrow at Remus, and the two suddenly began laughing. Rowan was just beginning to look around more when her vision was blocked by a plump, cheery looking woman in bright pink robes. Her matching pumps clicked merrily on the wood as she scurried towards Rowan, and two large, fuchsia bows tied her orangey-blonde hair into a long plait down her back. She looked at the two of them, standing awkwardly in the doorway, and clasped her hands together. Her overly-blushed cheeks swelled high as she gave Rowan a toothy grin, her fat lips spreading wide over her merry face.

"Ah!" She cried, clasping her hands together. "More young love!" And she scooped both Remus and Rowan into a tight hug, pressing them close. She let go of them and Rowan moved backwards a little, feeling around for the door knob. Just as she found it Madame Puddifoot had wrapped her arm around Remus and did the same to Rowan, leading them towards the dining area with a bright smile.

"Don't you two look cute together!" She squealed, and Rowan was suddenly reminded of her Aunt Alexandra, pinching her cheeks every time she came over for a visit. ("Who's a pretty girl? Oh, you are, you are!" Pinch pinch pinch.) Madama Puddifoot gave Rowan's shoulder a squeeze.

"Well, well…let's not keep you waiting any longer. What table shall it be, dears? Looking for anything in particular?" Rowan looked at Remus, who had the same terrified look on his face, then around at the tables. Rowan looked to Remus again, but could tell by his face that he frequented this place as much as she did.

"Erm…what makes each table different?" Rowan asked. Madame Puddifoot gave a high pitched little giggle and beckoned for Rowan to follow her.

"Oh, not much dears…just the scenic view, though most couples never have eyes for anything but each other.." She trilled as they passed a small table near a wide, pink draped window. As they walked down the aisles Rowan could see her point-the couple sitting in the booth to her right certainly were not paying attention to the scenery. Remus blushed.

"Ah! Here it is, loves." Madam Puddifoot said, magicking two little pink tea cups onto a table at the back of the shop. She conjured a little matching doily and flower vase from nowhere, and with a little flick of her wand it was suddenly filled with deep red roses. "This place should do…nice and secluded in the back, eh?" She gave Remus a quick wink and bustled off towards the kitchen. "And if you should need anything dears just call, though one cup of tea is enough for most couples!" She called over her shoulder.

Rowan picked up her cup of tea and took a sip. It had a heady scent, almost floral, but did taste quite nice. Remus did the same. Rowan stared into her tea then looked up at Remus, shocked when she found his tawny eyes fixed on her. They were silent for a moment, then Remus set down his tea, running his finger around the handle.

"Rowan…listen…" He said suddenly, his voice soft. Nervous, Rowan began to sip her tea, but seeing as Remus wasn't going to let it go anytime soon she set it down hastily, using the pink napkin by her plate to dab at her lips. Seeing he'd gotten her attention, Remus continued.

"I know its kind of….sudden," He said. "But I like you a lot. I asked Lily for help, and I'll admit…it was against my better judgment, since your heart seems to be with Sirius, but--No, don't object. Just listen.." He added, for Rowan showed all signs of interrupting. She held her tongue and Remus smiled sadly. "I'll understand if you think I'm a pig for trying to steal you away from one of my closest friends, but…" He looked into his tea. "I've felt this way about you for awhile, so I just needed to…you know, get it off my chest." Rowan didn't say anything. Then her mind began to remember.

Fifth year, Remus offering to help her with OWLS. The butterflies she'd gotten when his hand moved over hers, guiding her wand in a spell she was having difficulty with. Rowan had gotten perfect marks on _that _examination.....And another time, in second year. A snowball fight out on the grounds. Remus had thrown a snowball and it had hit Rowan straight in the face. She'd shrieked and Remus had come running, apologizing one hundred times over before she stuck a pile of snow down his coat. Last year, working on Potion together, Rowan blowing it up when she got distracted by Remus standing so close and added three more rat spleens then necessary. Laughing about it in the corridor after they'd had to evacuate. And her mind took her back to first year, when Remus dropped a giant encyclopedia on his foot and swore loudly in front of Rowan, who promised never to tell. And there was more...the gifts Remus had gotten her on her birthday for four straight years. Remus giving her his gloves when she complained hers weren't thick enough after their snowball fight this year. And she remembered other things, too…

The hurt in his eyes when she had told him about kissing fifth year Zachary Wyldes when they had been in fourth year. She'd made such a big deal about it since he was an upperclassmen, only to be dumped a week later. Three years later his disappointment upon hearing that Rowan and Sirius were now going steady. The way he looked in her direction when they had to pick partners for any class. Rowan couldn't believe she'd been so stupid. She'd liked him for as long as she could remember too. What had happened to her?

"I don't think you're a pig." She said, laughing. "I think Sirius Black is, and I swear to everything holy that he'll be bacon when I'm through with him." Her hands found her pocket, where they curved around her wand. Remus blinked.

"R…really."

The two were silent for a moment, listening to the heated debate about whether the Holyhead Harpies would crush the Ballycastle Bats in the next match at the table behind them. It was a pointless argument really, Rowan thought, because everyone knew the Bats always dominated the Harpies, but the couple seemed to be having fun.

"So, does that mean…" Remus began suddenly, looking into his tea. There was a long, awkward pause, during which one of the salt shakers decided it should break into song. Rowan's eyes locked with Remus's and they instantly began to laugh, and after a few moments of love songs it died down. Rowan and Remus were just looking at each other now, but something surprised Rowan this time. Remus's gaze was suddenly magnetic, powerful. Shivers tumbled down Rowan's spine. She had never seen him look at anyone like that before.

"Yes." Rowan said. "That means I like you too."

They sat there for another moment, just staring at each other, and then suddenly they were kissing. Rowan had no idea who moved first, or what made either of them do it. His lips were surprisingly soft and he was quite a gentle kisser. Rowan pulled away and Remus looked a little dazed, blushing slightly.

"Do you want more tea?" She asked awkwardly, noticing his cup was empty. He gave her a blank stare.

"What?"

Rowan kissed him again.

"See!" Said Madam Puddifoot, bustling down the aisle way with a fresh pot of tea, "I told you couples don't have eyes for anything but each other!"


	29. Chapter 29

It seemed unlikely that Remus and Sirius would ever speak to each other again. Sirius had cornered Remus in the hall that morning at breakfast and the two had a row right over James's eggs, during which Sirius aimed a well placed punch at Remus, hitting him right in the nose. Later Rowan sat with him in the hospital wing, furious as she held an icepack to a miserable Remus while Madam Pomfrey fretted over the boy in the bed next to them, who had somehow managed to sprout antlers.

"Why didn't you fight back?" Rowan hissed, as the boy with the antlers gave a frightened squeak as Madam Pomfrey approached him with her wand and a rather shiny, axe like object. Remus looked at the floor.

"Because I deserved it." He mumbled half heartedly. Rowan laughed.

"What did you deserve it for? If anyone should have his arse kicked it's Sirius Black, after what he's done. Rosmerta and I have half a mind to go after him next Hogsmeade trip. We're both pretty skilled at Jelly Legs-what do you think?"

Remus smiled a little sadly, but he took a moment for the image of Sirius dancing around the Great Hall like a mad man to clearly sink in, then began to laugh along with Rowan.

"Alright, alright, _quite _enough fun over here!" Madam Pomfrey cried, bustling over to the pair of them. Rowan noticed she had pulled the curtains on the antler boy. Madam Pomfrey gave Remus a stern look then waved her wand around his face, muttering incarnations.

"You can go now, Mr. Lupin." She said briskly, moving once again towards the antlered boy's bedside, "But be sure you avoid anymore fights or I'll just let that nose heal itself!"

"Cheery woman, isn't she?" Remus said darkly as he and Rowan scurried down the cobbled steps to Defense. Rowan smiled.

They entered the class and Rowan lead Remus towards two empty desks near Lily and Alice, purposefully steering him away from Sirius and James, who were sitting quietly, for once, at the front of the room. As Remus passed him with Rowan Sirius's eyes narrowed and he hit James on the arm, gesturing to the pair of them with a rather nauseated expression. James raised a brow. Though Sirius was his best mate, James had admitted to him what he'd done to Rowan was pretty scummy and that if he was Rowan he would have performed a well placed jinx. However, that didn't make him any happier with Remus for taking advantage of the situation and making his feelings known to Rowan.

"How's your nose, Remus?" Lily whispered as he sank into the desk behind her. Remus shrugged.

"It's alright. Pomfrey mended it." Lily smiled warmly at him, then her eyes narrowed and flashed in the direction of James, who was now talking animatedly with Sirius.

"I think you need to give him a good arse kicking." She said contemptuously, staring over at Sirius, who was scowling. "Give him a taste of his own medicine." Remus took a thick book out of his bag and placed it open on his desk, a long quill streaming from the pages to mark his place.

"I don't really think that's necessary, Lily." He said, propping the book to his face and beginning to read. Lily looked like she was about to say something else but at a scathing look from Rowan, she shut her mouth and turned around just as Professor Reeves entered the room.

He was a short, stocky fellow, who, in his little high heeled boots, just came eye level with tiny Alice. Along his broad chin he grew a thick, graying beard, which he had the habit of stroking whenever he pondered something unusual or became over excited…which was often, since James always impressed everyone with his spell casting. When he was disappointed with Rowan for accidentally smashing another one of his Sneakoscopes, his lips would purse and he'd give his wand an irritable flick as he directed it towards the mess, sending the broken pieces of glass into the bin by his desk, his eyes all the while boring into Rowan's. This had happened so often that last month Professor Reeves had purchased an extra sixty scopes just for Rowan's hour alone, and she had knocked into/tripped over/accidentally jinxed or hexed at least forty of them by March. Giving the class a sharp glare (his way of telling them to all be quiet or yelling "Good lord, SHUT YOUR MOUTHS!", depending on his mood) he waited until he had gotten everyone's attention, then began to pace the front of the room, glaring around at them all.

"Now," He said in his rich, deep voice. "We'll begin." And he turned to the board in such a dramatic fashion that Rowan burst into a fit of giggles.

Rowan supposed it was Professor Reeve's old association with W.A.D.A (Wizarding Academy for the Dramatic Arts) that made him so theatrical, but maybe that was just his personality. On the very first day of class he had introduced himself by setting off a series of colored smoke bombs and stepping dramatically through them, though this effect was slightly ruined when he began to have a coughing fit and, thinking he was choking, Frank Longbottom rushed forward and attempted the Heimlich. This put the two on rather bad terms for the following months, as Professor Reeves was forced to hurry to the Hospital Wing with several bruised ribs and a terrible wheeze. But not all bad had come from the situation-Alice cited the incident as the moment she knew she was in love with Frank. How nearly killing the teacher made her friend feel romantic Rowan did not know, Alice was simply strange like that. She greatly approved of Rowan dating Remus, too, thinking that the way he'd whisked her away from Sirius and taken her slyly to Madam Puddifoot's was the sweetest thing she'd ever heard. She kept sneaking furtive glances at the pair of them from where she sat next to Lily, smiling and winking whenever she caught Rowan's eye and inclining her head towards Remus, which made Rowan blush.

"Miss Watkins, if you'd be so kind to join us back here in the classroom…" Professor Reeves bellowed, tapping his wand impatiently on the edge of his desk. Rowan jumped, smoothing her hair nervously as she looked at her Professor.

"S…sorry." She mumbled, as the rest of the class giggled. Professor Reeves looked at her suspiciously for a moment, as though trying to see whether she was serious or not. Finally deciding that her apology (though meek) was sincere, he strolled to the front of the class again and folded his hands over each other in a dignified way, his head held high.

"Now that we have everyone's attention…" He boomed, his eyes flashing towards Rowan again, who sank lower into her desk, "I would like to address an issue that Dumbledore feels particularly strongly about, one that all of the staff here at Hogwarts and the Ministry greatly approve of." At this Remus sat up a little straighter, giving the Professor his full attention. For the last few minutes, Rowan had held it.

"As some of you may already know, our Headmaster has proposed a Dueling Class be formed in preparation for the worst. This is not to say," He said, moving towards the window, his heels echoing sharply against the stone floor, "That we will be attacked any moment. It is more of a precaution, so that in the event we _are _put under attack, we shall be prepared."

There was a ringing silence as Professor Reeves paused, smiling slightly at the dramatic effect he had created and the eager look on his audience's faces. Fulgent sunlight streamed through the tall windows on the side of the classroom, casting a warm glow around the room and the thin lines of the Professor's excited face as he began to stroll down the aisle ways.

"Unfortunately for your year, the Dueling Class isn't scheduled to begin until _next _year, " He said, his voice so quiet Rowan could barely hear him. "Our Headmaster isn't too pleased about this, since he feels that waiting too long could potentially be disastrous. So to offer you training as soon as possible, for the remainder of the year we will be practicing combative spells, dueling techniques and the like. Your N.E.W.T. exam will therefore be over defense and _not_ the things we've studied this year. It will instead be a duel against me, each one of you privately, to see how well you have been trained in combat."

Again, the ringing silence filled the room. Everyone was either staring up at Professor Reeves at this horrible news or glancing around at their friends in disbelief, their minds whirring with anxious thoughts. Rowan turned to look at Remus and was surprised to find him smiling slightly, his arms outstretched on his large book as he yawned openly. He sure could be strange sometimes.

"Well, as I can see you're all very excited," Professor Reeves began, misinterpreting the worried whispers beginning to buzz round the room like pixies, "I think we'll begin today with a little brushing up on our oldest skills. Everyone please stand and find a partner, and we'll begin a little review of Stunning!" There was a collective moan from around the room and Professor Reeves rolled his eyes, placing pairs among the room then bobbing through his student's elbows to make sure each pupil was ready.

"Alright….ready, and---" Professor Reeves began.

But he never got to finish. Two bursts of bright red light suddenly filled the room, bouncing off one of the Sneakoscopes and sending it bursting into pieces, glass shards spreading everywhere as students ran to the opposite side of the room to safety. Alice cowered behind Rowan as she watched, her large eyes round and glossy as marbles, Remus and Sirius dueling in the center of the room. Remus's wand was a bright blur as he sent hexes left and right at Sirius, who either dodged them with ease or flicked his wand to produce a Shield Charm while he thought of his next attack. Professor Reeves was watching the fight with a curious expression on his face, the kind one might wear when deciding between waffle or bagel in the morning or which hat to wear on a chilly day. He began to stroke his little beard slowly as Sirius sent a well aimed jinx towards Remus, who narrowly avoided it by diving underneath a desk and landing with a large thud. Standing up quickly, he brushed the dust off his robes and then pointed his wand straight at Sirius. He'd become so good at nonverbal spells that Sirius had no idea what was coming as Remus stared him down, but he had a good enough idea of what he might be planning. Raising his wand arm to point directly at Lupin, he yelled "Expelliarmus!" and exactly the same time Remus thought Stupefy, and the two spells collided in the middle of the classroom in a burst of red-orange light, sending Remus and Sirius soaring onto opposite sides of the classroom and collapsing against the stone walls in crumpled heaps as the light slowly disappeared in a series of tiny, speckled pops. Lily rushed over to Sirius, who was now using her arm to support himself as she pulled him off the floor. Rowan, on the other hand, walked cautiously over to Remus, who was now already standing and looking rather pleased with himself, though slightly dazed after his head had collided with the wall. He saw her and smiled a little shyly.

"Better go check on Sirius…" He muttered, slowly moving across the room to where Lily stood with Black, who looked haughty and ruffled, his hair sticking out on end. Professor Reeves was still studying the pair of them with that same strange expression on his face, staring at Remus as he moved over to examine his friend as though he'd never seen anything like it before. Alice cast a worried glance at Rowan before her eyes darted towards Sirius, who had taken out his wand. Remus stepped back in alarm.

"You were supposed to be my friend Moony!" Sirius cried, pointing his wand directly at Remus's face. Remus just stood there, staring into the tip of Sirius's wand, his own clenched loosely in his hand. Sirius's voice shook as he stepped closer to Remus, his wand still aimed directly between his eyes.

"You were supposed to be my friend, then you steal my girlfriend and duel me in the middle of Defense! What's gotten into you?" He demanded, jabbing his wand towards Remus. Remus just blinked.

"I can understand why you're upset, Sirius, " He said slowly, his grip tightening on his wand. Rowan saw Sirius's eyes flick towards it then back to Remus's face again. "And you've got every reason to be. But you did see another girl behind Rowan's back, and I only shot that jinx at you because you tried to steal my wand." Sirius laughed sardonically.

"Oh really now." He said scathingly, studying Remus with his inscrutable onyx eyes.

"Really." Remus said simply.

Sirius's lip curled dangerously, and for a moment, he wore the same expression he had worn ages ago down by the lake when Snivellus had aimed a spell at him. His face ashen he stuffed his wand roughly into the pocket of his robes, then stalked off angrily from the room, making sure to bump into Remus's shoulder with as much force as he could muster as he went, knocking him sideways into Lily. With one last contemptuous look at Remus, Sirius walked out of the room, slamming the door so hard behind him the portraits on the walls rattled and a Sneakoscope on Professor Reeve's desk swayed and fell to the floor. Everyone was silent, staring fearfully at the door to the classroom as though expecting Sirius to barge in any moment and hex Remus silly. They stood there, meeting each other's eyes nervously, silent and awkward. Rowan felt a hand slide into hers and looked over to see Remus, his tawny eyes sad and dull. She looked away, then, just as her eyes began to water, and tore her grip away from Remus. The tears beginning to fall fast and quick she ran across the room, crying "I ruin everything!!" and as she slid out the door, slammed it almost as hard as Sirius had.

The room was even more silent then before. Nobody dared speak, but all eyes were upon Remus, who cleared his throat awkwardly. Professor Reeve's boots were suddenly tapping across the floor and the class shifted their gaze from Remus to their Professor, who was now standing in the middle of the classroom, gazing at the door. He gave his beard one long, thoughtful stroke then turned to them with a wide smile on his face, his eyes gleaming in the sunlight.

"Pass me that piece of parchment, Miss Thewlis." He said eagerly, turning towards the door once again. Alice scurried forward, the piece of parchment he'd asked for clutched tightly in her hands, and presented it to him. He gave a small nod of thanks then looked over his shoulder at Remus.

"And Mr. Lupin, my quill, if you'd be so kind." Reluctantly Remus slinked forward to the front of the class, took the quill off his desk and walked it over to Professor Reeves, who snatched it out of his hands and positioned it at the top of the paper.

"You may leave class early." He said, sinking into the giant armchair behind his desk and beginning to scribble furiously on the parchment, his quill a streaky blur. "If I can weave this into a story by noon tomorrow, the Headmaster may try to lift that ban on pantomimes."


	30. Chapter 30

_**Note:** W.A.D.A was mentioned in the book __Tales of Beedle The Bard, written by JK Rowling to support the Children's High Level Group. I just loved the idea of a wizarding acting center and had to include it (^_^) Also, I'm thinking of wrapping the story up shortly. 29 chapters---shocking! Usually I write three sentences then abandon a story. Your reviews really help, so thanks! But now it's back to work-I had my Zeppelin extra loud today and burned four sticks of flower scented incense. This is the result. Hope you like it!_

When Spring came to Hogwarts, things changed. The piles of snow melted away to reveal the bright, muddy ground lying dormat below and the last of the winter chills blew north, leaving behind a balmy, light and breezy climate. The tall trees that made up the Forbidden Forrest swayed in that light breeze, their long, graceful branches bursting with tiny green buds that curled open into long, sweet green leaves, glistening in the new sunlight with beads of morning dew. Even the Whomping Willow, which normally stood guard outside the grounds like a withered watchdog, brightened up in the Spring, it's leprous vines now dotted with jungle like leaves. The good weather and beautiful surroundings put everyone in the castle in a much better mood, and it was with a small smile playing around her ruby lips that McGonagall threw open two windows in her Transfiguartion room and the class enjoyed the fresh air. Rowan let the cool breeze play about her face and smiled fondly over at Lily, who was relaxing in her chair, looking just as content as Rowan.

Another good thing about the coming of the new season was that it seemed to make everyone friendlier, and this everyone just so happened to include Remus Lupin and Sirius Black, who had not been speaking to each other since early March. Resting outside one day, blowing dandelion puffs into the cool Black Lake as they lounged beside it, Lily and Rowan saw Remus and Sirius laughing together again, looking like old pals.

"Only took them long enough." Lily muttered under her breath, plucking a fuzzy white dandelion from the ground and raising it to her mouth. She puckered her lips and blew softly, sending a flurry of white, downy seeds floating into the air, where they were whisked towards the lake in the wind, bobbing as they made their way to the middle then floated down to meet the dark water. Rowan leaned back on her elbows and plucked a honeysuckle, pulling the stamen through the bloom and dropping the saccharine nectar onto her tongue. She smiled at Lily and together they plucked another flower, tilting their heads back at the same time to let the nectar drip onto their tongues.

However beautiful it was outside, the 7th years could not enjoy the weather very often. The coming of Spring meant they were all one step closer to their N.E.W.T.S (Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests) and any slacking off now meant serious consequences later on. Rowan found herself quizzing Alice late into the night on Defensive spells for their D.A.D.A examination, her eyes growing dry and achy as she strained them well past midnight, reading spells on a scrap of parchment in Alice's cramped handwriting by candlelight. They continued this for two weeks before Rowan fell asleep right at the tiny table they were practicing at, slumping over and poking her eye on the sharp end of a spell book and swearing so loudly she woke half the House. After this incident Alice began asking Lily to help her study, which allowed Rowan to rest and work out more details on the prank with Tabitha and the rest of the Gryffindor girls involved.

"Alright women." Rowan said, strolling the length of the dormitory, her wand at her side. "We've got a very, _very _vague idea about what we're doing for the infamous end of year prank. However brilliant this idea is, it does need a fair bit of tweaking in order to become successful. Do you copy?" The girls all nodded in agreement. They had shed their heavy Hogwarts sweaters in favor of their crisp white shirts and ties, and almost all of them had their hair pinned off their necks, it was becoming that warm.

"Excellent!" Rowan cried impetuously, excitement bubbling inside her. "Now, if you'll remember, we have crickets. But what we're doing with these crickets has yet to be decided." Tabitha, who had been leaning against a bedpost with the sleeves of her shirt rolled up, suddenly stroked her chin as thoughtfully as Mr. Reeves as she pondered.

"Well, how many crickets are we going to have?" She asked, her eyes moving around the room to meet each of her conspirator's faces. "If we buy a ton we could cause some real damage around here, y'know." From her post on Lily's bed Marlene McKinnon tossed her long black hair over her shoulder.

"Urgh." She said nastily, wrinkling her nose. "Who would want all those disgusting little bugs hopping all over the place? URGH!" She cried, waving her hands around her face. Tabitha smacked her in the head.

"That's the _point_, you vain little berk." She said waspishly. "If people _wanted_ crickets hopping around in their porridge we wouldn't be planning to use them for a prank." Marlene rolled her eyes impatiently.

"Whatever." She said, crossing her arms. "I just think we should do something tasteful instead of disgusting is all." But nobody was paying her attention anymore. Tabitha had jumped up and was now tugging enthusiastically at Rowan's sleeve, her eyes wide.

"Ro, gimme the quill—I've got an idea and it's perfect."


	31. This One's Crazy

With all the studying for examinations, prank planning with the Gryffindor girls and dates around Hogsmeade with Remus, April passed by in a blur. Rowan was finishing up a particularly nasty Potions essay, to be handed in the next day, when she remembered that the last Quidditch match of the season, Gryffindor VS. Ravenclaw, was to be held that Friday.

Gryffindor almost always won the House Cup, with the exception of second year, when Slytherins stole it from right under their noses in a last second catching of the Snitch. James, who had just started playing Seeker then, still refused to talk about the incident, but used it as a reason to play faster, harder, and dirtier.

"Coming to watch us dominate?" James asked playfully as Lily and Rowan passed him on their way to Charms.

"Of course." Lily said simply, smiling back at James. "What would happen if I wasn't there?"

Rowan found herself seated in the Top Box once again, the giant purple microphone close to her lips as she awaited Madam Hooch's signal. The players strolled out onto the field, seven on each side, Gryffindor looking impressive in robes of bronze and deepest scarlet, Ravenclaw commanding in blue and silver. They all held their brooms steadily beneath them, the slight wind ruffling the ends of their cloaks, and Madame Hooch strolled in between the opposing teams, extremely noticeable in bright yellow robes. The crowd went silent as she positioned the whistle to her lips and blew, the ear splitting whistle piercing like an arrow throughout the stadium.

"And they're off!" Rowan cried enthusiastically as James Potter shot up towards the Top Box on his Nimbus. "The last game of the season folks and it looks like it's going to end up a close match, with the two best teams battling their hardest for the coveted House Cup." The Gryffindor Chaser did a fancy dive in mid air to catch the Quaffle and passed it to his teammate, who scored.

"And looks like Gryffindor is off to a good start, scoring first in this intense match, zeeeero to ten!"

The game continued on for quite some time, with Gryffindor scoring no less than twenty seven times. It looked like the game was in the bag. The Gryffindors were beginning to slack off with a win so clear in view, the Keeper yawning leisurely on his broom and waving at his girlfriend in the stands instead of keeping his eye on the field. All was going swimmingly until the Ravenclaw Seeker spotted the Snitch.

"Go Potter, goooooo!!" Rowan cried into her microphone, yelling so loudly the people in the stands covered their ears in pain and the microphone shut itself off in disgust. Rowan flung it aside and began to jump up and down in the Top Box beside McGonagall like a maniac, wringing her curls as she danced on the spot.

"Come on Potter, you've got it!" She cried, McGonagall screaming right next to her. Potter was now racing neck and neck with the Ravenclaw Seeker, darting in front of her as she sped towards the ground, her long blond hair flowing out behind her.

"Come on POTTER!!" McGonagall roared as the girl slid right under James, her long fingers stretching towards the Snitch, grasping in the air. Rowan was biting her nails so furiously she was beginning to bleed-the skin around her cuticles was rubbed raw. The cold, iron like taste filled her mouth but she did not care. All that mattered at the moment was James Potter pushing that woman aside and snatching like Snitch like the hotcakes he loved at breakfast.

"CHASE THAT THING LIKE YOU CHASED LILY EVANS!!!" Rowan cried, seizing the microphone that had suddenly clicked on again. "CHASE IT DOWN!!!"

The crowd was completely insane. The seas of scarlet and bronze, silver and blue at each end of the field cheered and screamed. Brightly colored banners decorated with the respective emblems waved in the breeze overheard the boxes, noise makers whizzed and spun in the hands of the biggest fans, girls were screaming and omnocular lenses flashed and glittered in the bright sunlight as James and the Ravenclaw Seeker spiraled towards the grassy pitch below, where the Snitch fluttered daintily just above the Ravenclaw line.

The Ravenclaw Seeker was close, her fingers were nearly closing upon the Snitch, Rowan couldn't watch…the last match of the year, lost. And after James had done so well in all the others, fighting tooth and nail to bring his team to victory. She opened her eyes and saw a glimpse of scarlet dart in front of the Ravenclaw Seeker. Her hand closed upon something but it certainly wasn't the Snitch-it was the end of James Potter's broom.

With a deafening roar from the Gryffindors James shot off towards the sky like a rocket, his cloak billowing out behind him as he leaned over his broom, the Snitch clutched tightly in hand. When he was level with the bright yellow goalposts on either side of the field he raised up to sitting position and held the Snitch high in the air, where it glinted in the sunlight, tiny wings fluttering. Then, a wide grin on his face, he lowered the Snitch to his lips and gave it a light kiss, swooping down again to do a few victory laps around the pitch.

"Yeeeeees!" Rowan cried, punching the air. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, YEEEEES!" And she seized McGonagall tightly around the middle and hugged her so hard her back cracked, then let go and ran down the steps from the Top Box leading down to the stands, her arms flailing as she screamed and ran into Remus, who was looking just as excited as she was, though without the arm flailing and shouting.

"We won!" He cried happily. "The House Cup! It's ours!" Rowan laughed, hugging him as tightly as she had McGonagall.

"Gryffindors triumph once again!" She cried, shaking her curls from her eyes. "We knew from day one it was Lions for the cup and look where we are!" Remus laughed, prying himself away from Rowan.

"Strangling me there mate." He said, though his eyes shone with excitement and after a brief pause he pulled Rowan into a hug so tight her eyes popped.

"Go, go, Gryffindor!"

It was Lily and Alice, and they had run down from the stands in their house colored scarves and face paint, colliding with Remus and Rowan in a tightly packed hug.

"I knew we'd win." Lily said, wiping her eyes with the end of her scarf.

"Gryffindors kicked some serious arse!" Alice cried, looking fondly out at the pitch.

"I'd say." Remus said, smiling at her.

They made their way through the throng of people moving towards the castle, chants for Gryffindor and snatches of singing rising above the general chatter as they entered the Great Hall, windswept and bursting with adrenaline from the victory.

"I've got to congratulate James." Lily said softly to Rowan, who nodded.

"Come on," Remus said, watching her weave through the crowd and seizing Rowan's hand, "There'll be time for that later. If seven years at Hogwarts has taught me anything, it's that Gryffindors love a good party."

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Remus was right. It looked like the whole of Gryffindor tower had shown up for the festivities, even the ghosts. Nearly Headless Nick floated through the mass of students, his head lolling unpleasantly to the side as he beamed around at them all, Gryffindor banners and students showing right through his pearly white sides. Someone had snuck food from the kitchens (and Rowan, returning Sirius's smile as she reached for a treacle tart, had a very accurate suspicion who) and the Gryffindor Quidditch team was being paraded around the room on the shoulders of some burly seventh years, punching at the air and draining goblets full of Butterbeer into their mouths. Rowan moved over to where Lily and Alice chatted in a corner, her hands stuffed with crips and desserts and a full tankard of the brought in Firewhiskey.

"Remus sure was right eh?" Alice chortled as James led the entire room in a rousing rendition of the school song. Lily surveyed him over the top of her Butterbeer.

"Only James." She said, though she was laughing.

The party continued well past midnight, but since there was no school the following day, nobody seemed to mind. James led different sets of happy Gryffindors in the school song and Remus, Peter and Sirius were telling jokes in the center of the room. As Rowan chattered with Lily and Alice in their corner of the room her words kept being drowned out by gales of loud laughter, this happening so often that eventually the girls tired of shouting themselves hoarse just to be heard and moved to the action. It was about one o'clock in the morning when Frank Longbottom stood atop a rickety table full of fairy cakes and tarts and yelled for everyone to be quiet. His voice, magically magnified by the Sonorous Charm, carried around the tower and echoed loudly off every wall, causing the boy supporting James on his shoulders for another round around the room to fall to the ground with his hands over his ears, sending James tumbling backwards onto the stone floor.

"Now that I've got your attention." Frank said cheerfully, pointing his wand to his throat and guiding his voice back to normal level, "I've got a little something I'd like to say." He hopped down from the table, sending several of the little cakes to the floor, and strolled towards the middle of the room. Gryffindors parted ways for him and when he got to Alice there was a little circle around the two, a solid wall of people enclosing them on all sides. Alice looked like she was having a hard time swallowing her Butterbeer as Frank moved closer.

"It was three years ago in this very common room that I first met Alice Thewlis." He said, looking around the room. "Three years ago that she accepted my invitation for our first date. A blustery day in The Three Broomsticks, d'you remember?" His warm brown eyes searched Alice's grey ones and she nodded, her face ashen. Frank took a step closer.

"I was awkward, skinny, and had greasy hair styled in a weird comb over. I don't think we'll ever find out just what she saw in me, but she said yes and that was the end of it-I was in love." A few raven haired fifth years giggled from the window, empty tankards of Firewhiskey in hand. Frank blushed slightly then continued.

"We've had our highs, Alice, and yea…we've had our lows. But after being with you for three years, going on four, I think it's safe to say we can handle the worst, and that our highs greatly outweigh the lows." He suddenly dropped to one knee. Alice's hands flew to her mouth.

"And so," He said shakily, reaching into his pocket as he looked up at her, "I want you to know how much you mean to me. Without you, Alice, life just wouldn't be the same. I knew from the moment we first met that you'd be someone special, and look at us now-I was right." He popped open the top on the little black box to reveal a sparkling diamond ring, which glittered spectacuarily in the candlelight. The Gryffindors all waited with bated breath, their eyes fixed on the scene playing out in the middle, smiling warmly at Frank as he knelt on the floor, staring up at Alice with hopeful brown eyes. "I love you, Alice Thewlis." He said, raising the box towards her, "And nothing, _nothing _would make me happier than knowing that I could finally call you mine…"

There was a pause, during which Alice stared down at Frank with watery eyes, her hands still clamped tight over her mouth. The clock in the corner ticked and the Gryffindors watching barely breathed as they waited for her answer. Alice's hands lowered from her mouth. Then—

"YES!" She shrieked, seizing the ring box and falling to the floor in front of Frank, throwing her arms around his neck. He overbalanced and fell over, dragging Alice with him, but she didn't seem to mind. She fell next to him and began to kiss him over and over again, sobbing all over his face and muttering incoherently in between kisses. The Gryffindors circling them began to clap, and Lily's eyes sparkled with tears as her eyes met Rowan's across the room. She was clapping harder than anyone else as Frank pryed Alice off him, getting a little teary eyed himself, and stood tall in the center of the Common Room, his arm around his new fiancee as he beamed at them all.

"Thank you, thank you!" He said, squeezing Alice. "Thank you." And they kissed again.

There was a sudden loud, creaking noise and everyone turned from the happy scene playing out in the middle of the room to see Sirius standing atop the rickety table Frank had used, a half empty bottle of Firewhiskey dangling from his hand and his tie undone.

"Con….Congratulations!" He cried, weaving around on the table. "Very….very happy. Happy, happy, happy…" He took a step forward. "Happy, happy....firewhiskyandlove.... …eh,isntlovegrand….loverowanwatkins…Quiddtichandlove…eeeh, Christmas." He muttered, and he swayed one last time and fell face first into the rug below with a loud thud. Rowan winced.

"Alllright, seems Padfoot here's had a _little _too much to drink tonight." James said, strolling over to his drunken friend and prying the bottle of Firewhiskey from his hands. "Up you get, Paddie, we're going to bed." He said, lifting Sirius from the ground and wrapping his arms around his neck. He turned and dragged him up the stairs, Sirius's eyes half opened as he muttered words under his breath all the way up the stairs.

"Aaah bed…Jamesyousmellnice…sleep. Nice pillows. Warm pillows. Agh Christmas. James do you like Christmas?" The Gryffindor Chaser cranked up the stereo to the WWN and the party began again, but Rowan sunk into an armchair by the fire, gazing into it's hot coals. Though Sirius had been smashed, and his words had been slurred together, she couldn't help but replaying what he had said over and over in her mind.

"Happy, happy…firewhiskey and love… eh, isn't love grand…love Rowan Watkins…Quidditch and love." Rowan closed her eyes and Sirius's dazed face swam in the blackness, mumbling the same words.

"Happy, happy…firewhiskey and love…."


	32. Almost Done!

"What a night."

It was six in the morning and Rowan, Alice, Tabitha and Lily were all gathered around Alice's four poster. The party would have gone on longer, as everyone was still in such an excellent mood despite Sirius's drunken rambling, but McGonagall had shown up around six in her nightcap and gown, brandishing her wand at the whole lot of them gathered together in the Common Room and demanding they get to bed. With a goodnight kiss from Frank Alice had scurried towards the dormitories, smiling excitedly at her best friends for them to follow. They'd done so gladly, crowding around Alice's bed eagerly as they waited for her to talk. It was where they were now, hanging onto her every word as she flashed her ring in the candlelight and told them all they'd ever wanted (and didn't want) to know about Frank.

"Ladies," She gushed, smiling fondly down at her ring, "When you've found the right man you just know, you really do." Lily smiled.

"Did you know on the first date like Frank did?" Alice rolled her eyes, her fingers un-knotting her tight braid.

"Yeah, I know his speech was a little cheesy. That's just Frank."

"Always had to pry the ladies off that one." Rowan said slyly. Alice chucked a pillow at her.

"He's going to be my husband, so you'd better shut your mouth and get used to it!" She said shrilly, glaring at them all. Rowan and Tabitha curled their hands into claws and growled at Alice.

"Rawr!"

"Oh, har har." Alice said sarcastically, though she was smiling. "What am I going to do with you?" Rowan moved to sit on the bed next to her friend, tugging a stray curl behind her ear.

"Lock us up far, far away where nobody can ever find us, that's what." Lily gave an appreciative laugh.

"Amen to that." Rowan's head snapped upright.

"And just what's that supposed to mean, Lillian Evans?" Lily smirked.

"Oh, you know perfectly well what it means."

Rowan seized one of Alice's pillows and smacked Lily right over the head with it, causing a pillow fight that lasted until the last stars faded from the sky and the blue tint of morning shone over the Hogwarts grounds, blinding sunlight streaming through the window.

********************************************************************************************

It was exam time.

All around Rowan quills scritched against parchment, students bowed low over their papers or biting the ends of their nails nervously as they racked their brains for an answer. Sunlight streamed in through the tall windows of the Great Hall, shining brightly over the students, but all were working too intently on their examinations to pay the beautiful weather much notice. Inkwell full to bursting with strict, plasticy smelling black ink, Rowan furiously dipped the end of her quill into the pot and stared blankly at the question before her-

**234) Describe, as completely as possible, the knife movement used to slice Billywig Stingers for use in various potions. **

Rowan ran her hand through her curls, which were sticky with sweat. The Great Hall was suddenly feeling very uncomfortable, rid of all air and tight as if she'd suddenly been sucked, along with her desk and parchment, into a bell jar on someone's table. She inhaled deeply, setting her quill down on the corner of her desk and rubbing her eyes wearily. She closed them, relaxing against the cool darkness as she took deep breaths, slowly opening her eyes again to stare at the ink glistening on her parchment. Well, they sure were right when they named them Nastily Exhausting, whoever they were. Rowan had never felt worse in her life. She leaned back in her chair and surveyed the test takers around her, who were all furiously scribbling, not even paying attention to the giant time keeper on McGonagall's desk at the head of the room or the pleasant conditions outside. A few rows in front of her Rowan saw James Potter dipping his quill into it's matching ink pot, his glasses sliding down his nose as he put his quill to parchment and began to write. Rowan craned her neck and found Snape, sitting alongside the brilliant windows, his hair looking even greasier in the sunlight. He kept his face extremely close to his parchment as his hand skated across it, and when he pulled back to re-read what he had written, scratching his oily head with the end of his quill, Rowan could see tiny black ink spots dotting his great hooked nose. She smiled, chuckling softly to herself, then turned back to her paper. The question, jet black and printed in hard, unfriendly type, stared back at her, leaving Rowan as clueless as she had been before she took her little look around the room. She closed her eyes again, concentrating on nothing but the question, it's possible answers, and all the things she had ever learned in her seven years at Hogwarts. She sat like this for three minutes, thinking, until with a weary smile, she dipped her quill into her inkwell and leaned over her paper.

_The exact method of cutting Billywig Stingers is a complex one...._

_*******************************************************************  
_

"Ro…Ro! Wake up…_yes_, it is morning already…no, don't you dare…it's the morning of the pranks, remember?"

At this, Rowan lurched upright from her four poster, banging her head straight into Lily, who was leaning over her to shake her awake. Lily rubbed her head, wincing in pain, but Rowan was already out of bed and pulling on her uniform.

"Sweet Merlin, Lils!" She mumbled through a mouthful of bobby pins as she did up her hair in a quick bun, "You should have woke me ages ago, it's going to be full by the time we get down there." Lily laughed, still rubbing the spot on her forehead where Rowan had collided with it.

"Yeah, yeah…hand me that powder of yours, it's turning purple." Rowan tucked a pin into the underside of her bun and reached for her compact, stopping and laughing when she saw what sat upon it.

"Gotta love Tabitha." She muttered, using her wand to brush the large cricket off her compact. It gave a loud chirp and soared off the little mirror onto Lily's bed, where at least fifty more had gathered. Rowan shuddered and reached for her stockings, beginning to pull them on when her foot hit something funny.

Lily smiled apologetically as Rowan screamed, tossing aside her stocking as several crickets came pouring out of it. Rowan clutched her chest, sinking down on her four poster, her eyes closed.

"Yea…I'm kind of agreeing with Marlene on this whole cricket idea now." She said, wincing as Rowan zapped a couple hundred with her wand.

"Me too." Rowan said, shuddering as she stepped daintily off the bed and over the mass of deceased crickets. "Meeee too."

***********************************************************************

She and Lily headed downstairs to the Common Room where Alice and Tabitha were already waiting, wearing identical evil smirks as chaos reigned all around them. People were sinking into armchairs only to leap up with their pants full of crickets, and in the corner, a small first year boy tentatively opened up a chess table, only to peek inside and get a cricket to the face. Alice smiled mischievously as James Potter appeared admist the chaos, brushing a cricket off the shoulder of his robes as he ambled towards them.

"Nice idea, girls." He said, smiling at the masses of screeching Gryffindors, "But just wait until you see what the Marauders have got up their sleeves." Lily placed her hands on her hips, staring at him defiantly with her emerald eyes.

"I think you'll know who the real masters are once you've seen the Great Hall." She said sweetly. James raised a brow.

"What's so special about—" But the rest of his words were drowned out by a loud scream, and a girl streaked past them from the dorms in nothing but a House colored bathrobe, her hair covered by a turban like towel as she ran towards the dormitories, dripping bubbles and water everywhere as she screamed something about crickets in the washroom. James just stared after her, his eyes wide, then turned to look at the girls standing before him. Rowan rubbed her hands together maliciously.

"Oh we are evil, aren't we?" She said, laughing at James' shocked expression. Remus appeared a second later, flattening himself against the wall as the bathrobe girl came flying past him, her turban slipping off her head onto the floor.

"Clever idea." He said, looking around the room, evidently impressed. James rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. Mildly amusing but way more annoying. You just wait until I get to the Great Hall." He said, heading towards the portrait hole. "I bet I'll uncover a beadle in my egg yolk or something." Lily laughed, her eyes on Remus and James's retreating backs.

"Oh, you'll find something much better than that." She said softly, turning to Rowan. "But it won't be in your yolk."

Rowan was full of excitement as she, Lily, Tabitha and Alice trotted down to the Great Hall later that morning. Her stomach was a whirl of butterflies as she slid down the banister with Alice, and she laughed much too loudly when she discovered that the crickets were beginnig to make their way downstairs as she caught side of five of the little buggers hopping around the Entrance Hall. She hurried towards the door with Lily and the others, but their path was blocked by a scrawny little fourth year, who looked beside himself with excitement. His freckled face was nearly covered by a huge grin as he looked up at the four of them, then said, slightly out of breath, "You've gotta go into the Great Hall…I won't ruin it for you, but just look—it's amazing, truly amazing…" Lily's eyes locked with Rowan's and they both bit hard on their lips to keep themselves from giggling. It was Alice that had the composure, and drawing herself up to her fullest height she said, quite steadily, "Thanks. We'll be sure to check it out." With a wink at Rowan she moved around the boy and the others followed. Alice wrapped her hand around the knob and looked over her shoulder at the girls, a smile rapidly spreading across her face.

"Are you ready?" Rowan was near ready to explode.

"YES!" She cried, so loudly that several students looked around in alarm. Alice laughed and turned the knob. The four stepped inside the Hall and all shared knowing smiles as they walked in.

The Great Hall had been totally transformed. A long, rectangular swimming pool the length of two football fields stretched right down the middle of the Hall, leaving two wide, sandy strips on either side where students had laid out towels and their goblets of Pumpkin Juice. A lively game of beach ball was going on in the pool, as several students had run up to their dormitories and changed as soon as they saw the water, and Professor Reeves was life guarding, blowing his whistle shrilly at anyone who went to far into the water or leaping in dramatically to pull people up out didn't need any saving. Lily winked and the girls followed, winding their way around the pool towards Dumbledore, who was talking with McGonagall.

"But this is absolutely absurd!" She was saying, her eyes widening as she watched Frank Longbottom do a perfect swan dive into the water below. "Utter madness!" Dumbledore smiled warmly at her, his eyes twinkling behind his half moon spectacles.

"Oh, Minerva, let them be." He said, his eyes flashing towards Rowan and the girls for the slightest second. "In these trying times, I think we all need a few good laughs." McGonagall stared at Dumbledore, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"You didn't have, by any chance, any part in this, did you, Dumbledore?" She asked shrewdly. Dumbledore merely chuckled.

"Me? A part in this? Oh, Minerva, you've always been able to flatter me." McGonagall didn't say anything, but as the four girls passed and gave Dumbledore dazzling smiles of thanks, Rowan could have sworn she smiled.

"Blimey, a swimming pool in the Great Hall?" It was James. His hazel eyes were wide behind his spectacles as he studied the four of them in astonishment, his mouth hanging open. Rowan reached out and pushed his chin up, closing his mouth.

"You were drooling a little there mate." She giggled. James smiled and began to dust at his robes, playing along.

"Ah, so I was. And all over my robes and everything!" He laughed. "Oh, how dreadful." Lily giggled.

"Out of the way, ickle firsties. Padfoot is coming through!"

Sirius Black was making his way through the throng of people, his shaggy head towering above everyone as he neared where James stood with the girls. Behind him was Remus, politely guiding Peter through the people with many mannerly "Excuse me's" and "thank you's" when people parted ways. It was no surprise that he got through first, with Sirius still trying to force his way through a couple of sixth years.

"Brilliant, Ro." Remus said, giving her hand a squeeze. "This tops anything we've ever done, this does." Rowan beamed at him. Sirius Black came stumbling towards the circle, finally making his way through the crowd. He pushed his dark hair out of his eyes and grinned at the lot of them, standing together.

"Smashing idea, ladies." He said with a smile. "Though who said we could have outside help?" James turned to Lily, frowning slightly.

"Sirius is right. When did we say that was legal?" Lily crossed her arms, but laughed.

"Oh, all right. We never did. I guess that means, legally, that whatever you bigots did you won…but the girls and I still won in spirit." James wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close.

"No Lily. You win fair and square. Nobody's even seen what we've done yet, but it pales in comparison to all this. And it's our fault we had too much pride to get someone genius as ole' Dumbledore on our team."

Lily smiled, surveying the Great Hall, then leaned her head back to look up at James.

"That's nice of you, Potter." She said softly, tearing herself away from his arms. "But it's not like you. James Potter always wants to win, so I say it's not over until we've seen what you four have done." James rolled his eyes.

"Alright, alright. If you want to play that way…I would have just accepted the win, but of course, that's just me…and what do I know, I'm only James Potter!" He gestured towards his boys. "C'mon. We've got to get it ready."

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	33. Chapter 33

**Note:Wooo! Finally, after all these long weeks,an update. ****Sorry it's been so long, I've had lots to do for school (fucking trimesters) and personal life. I'll try to get into the habit of updating more now since those two big tests are over with. This chapter is really short and not very exciting, but I hope you'll like it. Only two more chapters until the end guys, thanks to all of you for reading. Take the poll on my profile! It's to see who your favorite character from this story is.** **Alright, enough rambling--READ!**

It was noon by the time James returned, the front of his robes scorched and smelling strongly of burnt rubber. When he leaned in to give Lily a kiss she coiled away from him, moving to the other side of the table near Rowan.

"Thanks but no thanks, James." She said, helping herself to the mashed potatoes Rowan was now inhaling. She looked him up and down and raised a brow. "What on earth have you been doing?" James grinned.

"Preparing." He said simply, taking a swig of Pumpkin Juice. Lily's brows raised farther into her hair.

"Are you planning on carrying out a prank at all tonight James?" She asked, moving the bowl of potatoes to her left as Rowan moved to dig into them again. James just laughed, rolling his eyes.

"Oh Lils." He said, smiling. "We long abandoned the idea for our prank. We didn't actually think you'd go through with it, but when you topped us, we decided we needed something…protect our reputation here, y'know." He puffed out his chest importantly. Lily stared at him.

"So all this time you've had nothing?" Rowan asked thickly through a goopy mouthful of potato. Lily shot her a look and Rowan hastily seized her napkin and began to dab furiously at her mouth.

"Basically." James said airily. "Ours is less of a prank and….well, more of a celebration." His eyes sparkled in the sunlight as he looked at Lily. "A celebration of good times, good friends, and, can't forget, good looking girls." Lily reached across the table to smack him but was interrupted by the arrival of Dumbledore, who was striding up the Great Hall in sweeping purple robes. His long white beard swayed as he walked and he peered good naturedly around at the students from behind his half moon spectacles, greeting each one that caught his eye with a swift nod of the head and slightly crooked smile. Lily snatched Rowan's goblet out of her hands just as she was raising it to her mouth and Dumbledore, gazing pleasantly around the hall, began to speak.

"As you all have known since the year started, term ends tomorrow, tomorrow exactly at three fifteen P.M. The Hogwarts Express will roll into the station and you'll leave here for summer vacation, only to return again on September 1st, or you'll leave here forever, and fully enter the wizarding world." His eyes moved to where the seventh year Gryffindors sat, and he smiled his warm, crooked smile.

"I usually save this speech for the last day I see all your bright faces, but I was up late last night and figured out what I wanted to say early. I felt it necessary to wish you all a good summer or, in the case of our seventh years, a good luck in your newest adventure. But, due to the present times, I wanted to add more than just well wishes to my typical end of year speech. I think all of you have by now of a certain wizard commonly referred to as Lord Voledmort." There was a collective shudder around the Great Hall as Dumbledore's words reached everyone's ears, and Rowan, who had managed to steal the potatoes from under Lily's arm, gasped, spilling potato all over her plate. Dumbledore was silent for a moment, his bright blue eyes taking in the effect he had created, then he put the tips of his thin fingers together and began to stroll about the front of the Hall.

"This very Lord has wreaked havoc on the wizarding world for two straight years now, and nothing appears to be able to stop him. The greatest witches and wizards of our time have stood up to him, only to be shot down mercilessly with a Killing Curse or tortured into insanity at the hands of a malicious Death Eater. The Daily Prophet, as biased and exaggerated as it may be, has been reporting suprisingly accurate information about Lord Voldemort's (everyone shuddered again) location and present endeavors. We have learned from these reports, as well as our Prime Minister and the Auror office, that Voldemort is currently residing somewhere in England, but that is not a reason to worry."

"Not a reason to worry?" Sirius whispered, sliding into the seat next to James with Remus. "Lord…y'know, is in England. And, I'd like to point out, in two years he has mericlessley taken the lives of millions and did I mention _is living right here in England_?" He shook his curls. "And Dumbledore says it's not a reason to worry."

"That's _exactly_ what I said, Mr. Black." Dumbledore said, chuckling slightly as he gazed down at Black. The Great Hall laughed, but was silenced as Dumbledore returned once again to his podium, now looking very stern. All eyes turned upon the Headmaster.

Rowan had not ever really realized, in all her years at Hogwarts, what an impressive figure Dumbledore really was. His fierce artic gaze, at that moment cast upon the anxious students, radiated power. It was a quiet power, one enemies often doubted upon taking in his white hair and lined face. Though generally warm hearted and soft spoken, Dumbledore's power was often hidden to the students and sometimes his colleagues. Though very old Dumbledore had a tall, firm frame, and when he stared them all down from behind his gold podium, Rowan knew he expected her full attention without even saying a word.

"While his present location in England is alarming to many," Dumbledore continued,

a small smile playing at the corners of his thin lips, "it is not the worst thing that has happened in the last two years. In fact, I believe Lord Voldemort has yet to truly shock the wizarding and surely Muggle world with his antics. The things he has done have, I must admit, been truly horrible. Unimaginable even, at times, the measure of cruelty behind them. I believe he is out there somewhere as we speak, biding his time, waiting for the golden opportunity to show us his full potential. When such a dark soul is on the loose, it is only time before he realizes his full power, you see, and by then it will most likely be too late." He paused again, surveying his students. No one dared make a sound.

"That is why, my students, I urge you to protect each other. Keep a close eye on friends and an even closer eye on enemies. Care and watch out for each other like brothers. In times like these, when greatest evil is among us, our greatest strength truly is in numbers. I know that some of you are part of Death Eater allianced families. It is near impossible to detect from everyday interaction, but we all know a few among us are not as harmless as they may seem. Even so, I urge them, as well as those still innocent and pure of heart, to see reason. Lord Voldemort, however dangerous and darkly glamorous, is not the one to follow. He will only lead you into enslavement, torture, and unnecessary spilling of magical and Muggle blood. Lord Voldemort's future is a dark one, one that villians long before him have strived for for centuries. There's been many attempts from those whose souls have turned foul, whose hearts are so black they pump blood back as stone oil through their owner's veins to reshape the world, yet not one of them has succeeded. I believe there is a chance that Lord Voldemort may succeed if we do not unite within these castle walls, within our hearts and minds, to stop him. I have said it many times before and I agree it sounds too simplistic a solution…but the only thing that can stop such a man (if he can even be called human anymore) such as Voldemort is love. Just love…and not just romantic love, for we all know that is a treasure and a different matter entirely. But genuine love. Caring for others. Friendship. Not jinxes or hexes, terrorist groups and all powerful leaders. The solution, my friends, is just love. Enjoy your meal." And Dumbeldore moved to the Staff Table, where he sat down next to McGonagall, tossed his long beard over his shoulder, and dug his teeth into a chicken leg.

The entire Great Hall was silent. Everyone's eyes were still fixed on Dumbledore,

their mouths gaping open, searching the faces of their friends, silently questioning each other the meaning of the message. Dumbledore didn't seem to notice this disturbance, for he mereley set aside the remnants of his chicken leg and began to help himself to some pudding. Lily looked at Rowan, who had now finished her potatoes and was working on second helpings of fried chicken.

"Meet me by the Black Lake by ten."


	34. Chapter 34

The sky was dark and gloomy, the stars that once glittered and winked, bright as fairy lights atop their crushed velvet blacktop swallowed by big, puffy clouds full to bursting with rain. Rowan scurried down to the Lake beneath them, the collars of her robes turned up as the wind whipped at her hair. The sweltering heat of the day had long melted away with the sun to a light, balmy temperature, and it was perfect condition for night time meetings, with the ominous backdrop and increasing wind. The Lake was rolling, large grey clouds reflected eerily in it's black, mirror like surface. A dainty curve of onyx water rolled forward to the shore and Rowan caught sight of a long, pearly white tentacle gleaming beneath the jet black waters before it slipped out of sight. Unnerved, Rowan pulled her robes tighter around her body as lightning crackled through the sky, long yellow arms reaching out in zigzagged motions towards the Castle, bursting with soft rumbles of thunder. She slumped against the cool bark of Jame's favorite oak and crossed her arms, scanning the grounds for any sign of Lily. Patches of dim moonlight sprawled over the grounds as patches in the thick clouds widened, but they didn't last long enough for Rowan's comfort. After the moonlight faded away the grounds became a great expanse of black, so dark that even Rowan's wand, glowing faintly under a weak Lumos spell, didn't make much difference.

And Rowan was horribly afraid of the dark.

"Come on, Lils!" She muttered, her temper rising as the moonlight faded once more and she was cloaked in darkness. "Where the bloody hell are you?"

"Right behind you, nutter."

Rowan jumped so high she hit her head on one of the oak's thick branches.

"Dammit, Lily!" She cried, her temples throbbing. She knelt on the ground and began to feel around for her wand, which was still glowing feebly in the tall grass. Her fingers closed around the warm, sweaty wood and she pocketed it. Eleven inches, hawthorn, billywig stinger, sturdy. Never failed. She turned to look at Lily but she was already by the water's edge, her long red hair fanning out around her as she gazed up towards the stormy sky.

"Looks like it'll be a good one." She said dreamily, smiling up at the clouds as another bolt of lighting cut across them. Rowan seized her wrist and pulled her back towards the safety of the oak, shoving her to the ground.

"I just saw that Giant Squid and storms probably make it hungry." She said, moving in front of Lily to deter her from heading back. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Ro, the Giant Squid does not eat _people_. Alice comes down here and feeds it bagels, for goodness sake."

"Yea," Rowan said, her hands falling to her hips. "But whatever happened to little David Lewis in second year? Came down by the Lake between lessons and they never found him again!"

"That's because his mum came to fetch him and they moved to France."

"Ah, that's just what they told us." Rowan said, shaking a finger at Lily and moving to sit underneath the oak. "At such a tender age we were much too fragile to know the truth."

Lily said something in response, but luckily was drowned out by a loud rumble of thunder that sent Rowan diving into her knees for safety.

The wind was picking up now, sending Rowan's curls whipping about her face, getting caught in her eyes and mouth. Beside her Lily was staring serenely out at the water, her glassy emerald eyes hard and dark in the little light. They didn't speak for what seemed like the longest time, letting the silence grow between them until, after minutes of staring out across the storm tossed Lake, Lily turned to Rowan and smiled a little sadly.

"You can probably guess why I dragged you out here tonight."

"Actually, I can't." Rowan said moodily, pulling the hood of her robes over her curls as rain began to fall. "Do explain." Lily looked like she would love nothing more than to place her hands around Rowan's neck and shake her until she was blue in the face, but she restrained herself and instead cracked her knuckles idly, smiling down into the grass.

"Well, I'd have thought it would be obvious, but…" Another bolt of lightning shot across the sky like an arrow and soared past the Astronomy Tower, setting the sky ablaze. Rowan, upon seeing it, began to seriously question Lily's sanity.

"But I needed to talk to you about…You…You Know Who." Rowan looked at her.

"I beg your pardon."

"Rowan, be serious for once!" Lily snapped. "I'm trying to have a decent, intelligent conversation with you here and you insist on being ridiculous!" Rowan narrowed her eyes.

"Ridiculous? It's not my fault you're much too sensitive for your own good! Who drags their friends out in the middle of a storm just to talk to them about You-Know-Who? Why couldn't we just sneak to Myrtle's toilets or something, that's always safe—but oh, no, we're doing things the Lily Evans way tonight. It's story time under the stars!" She paused as an loud clap of thunder rumbled through the grounds and it began to rain harder. "Oh wait," She said quietly, lifting her face to the sky, "There aren't any."

Lily's fingers were tightening around her wand.

"Oh, I really don't want to have to hurt you tonight." She grumbled. "I really, _really _don't want to." Rowan knew Lily would sooner eaten a bowl of Jelly Slugs than hex her, but when Lily was looking so alarming (and the fact that the thunder rumbling overhead would surely mask any screams) she relented.

"Okay, okay." She said, holding up her arms in mock surrender. "What did you want to talk about?" It was though Lily had planned this conversation, for she cleared her throat in a rather matter of fact way, paused, then launched into speech.

"Dumbledore's speech…" She said slowly, eying Rowan to make sure she was listening. "You heard the man. You-Know-Who is in England and this war is only getting worse. You know that, I know it…hell, even Alice knows it and though I love her, she's incredibly naive." She paused again to look at Rowan, who looked back miserably from underneath her hood, curls waterlogged and stringy from the rain. She continued.

"Though he's _very _good at hiding it, I can tell he's worried. If he wasn't he wouldn't be cautioning us like that, it's not like him." Rowan looked at her.

"But he specifically told us he wasn't worried."

"People always don't say things they want to, Rowan. Imagine if Dumbledore actually admitted his concern." She stood up, rain lashing against her thick hair, robes stuck to her skin, and extended her hand to Rowan.

"There would be chaos." She said as she pulled Rowan to her feet, "Mothers would be pulling their children from school even though in times like these school is probably safer than most their homes. People would panic. Everyone respects Dumbledore, I honestly have no idea why he isn't the Minister of Magic by now…" She looked to the sky, her face illuminated by another streak of lightning.

"I'm just worried about what this means…Dumbledore's worry, You-Know-Who being so close…I'm worried, Ro, about what this means for us." Rowan smiled weakly, moving closer to Lily and wrapping her arm around her shoulders, which were shaking with cold.

"Lils, I'm worried to." She said softly. "Worried that one of you will be killed when we join the Order, worried that something will happen, something terrible…to any of us here, it doesn't have to be a friend. Lisa Reynolds never came back after Christmas Break last year, do you remember that? Death Eaters murdered her and her mother a week before we were due back. The whole thing was awful, but what really scares me is how easily they found her mother…and how quickly they did it, without any remorse. They just left them there, their father came home and-well, her mother wasn't even in the Order. She just worked under the Minister and found out too much. If they track down government officials and kill them, think of how much more danger we'll be in in the Order, fighting against them all."

The rain was falling fast and hard now, a watery haze over the tall windows which glowed warmly with torchlight up at the castle. The girls were sopping wet as they stood under the oak, the storm raging overhead as they carried out their conversation. Rowan's shoes were filled with water, her stockings so soaked her they made squelching noises against the rubber of her shoes every time she wiggled her toes in a vain attempt to warm them. Her curls were frizzy and dripping down her sides, Lily's mascara was running all down her face and yet she still insisted on standing out in the rain.

"Rowan," Lily said, now sounding very serious. "You're the best friend I've ever had. Even though it was pretty rough in the beginning, with all the sabotaging we did, I wouldn't skip that part of our friendship for the world. I knew Lisa…not very well, y'know, but…enough. I was partners with her in Herbology a lot when you were with Remus, and we chatted over DADA homework more than once. When I heard she died it was…horrible. I just kept seeing her over and over again in my mind, laughing, talking. Smiling. Living. And then I went over what I'd said to her before the holidays, desperate to make sure I hadn't said anything horrible. I said goodbye but that was it…just yelled it over the crowd as we got on the train. If I felt that bad about losing Lisa, who was only an acquaintance, I…I don't ever want to know what it's like to lose someone close like you. Or James." Rowan smiled at her.

"You really do love him, don't you?" Lily looked down towards the water then back at Rowan. She buried her face in her hands and even though it was impossible to tell in the dark light, Rowan swore her face had turned bright red.

"Oh, Rowan I do!" She said. "I was so stupid before and so was he…if we had just settled our differences like adults we could have been going out long before this. Fifth year maybe, if he would have accepted his arrogance. I was only mean to him because I couldn't and didn't understand why I liked him so much. He is the perfect example of the man I never thought I could care for and now look at me." She chuckled, pulling her hair behind her ears.

"I'm a lovestruck fool in the rain worrying about our future."

The rain began to lighten, a heavy sprinkle rather than a full out down pour, and Rowan shook out her curls, ringing them into the soft, spongy soil beneath the tree. She looked up at Lily as she shook her curls dry, her eyebrows raised.

"Is this still the same Lily Evans, swooning over a certain bespectacled someone?" Lily rolled her eyes.

"I would only be swooning if I told you I'd written Lily Potter in all my books…which I haven't!" She cried, as Rowan moved towards her bag to check.

Rowan raised a brow but didn't pursue the matter further. Instead, she stopped wringing her hair as the storm moved North, carrying the last few storm clouds along with it. The half moon shone across the grounds as the last wispy gray clouds drifted after the larger ones, and Rowan could, upon looking at Lily, see that she was smiling now.

"Enough with the mushy stuff." She said, swatting Lily to bring her back to earth. "I have to confess."

"Proceed." Lily said eagerly, her eyes bright in the half light. Rowan cleared her throat. Was she really going to tell Lily everything that had been on her mind for the entire year? She debated for a moment, considering the feeling of getting everything off her chest versus the feeling of guilt she would surely get after, then, after a look from Lily, made a split second decision.

"I don't know if I want to be in the Order anymore. I'm a coward. I used to like James and for a short time hated you because of how often he went on about Lily Evans. I don't really like Quidditch. I think I failed my Charms N.E.W.T. Things haven't been going that great with Remus. I'm starting to have feelings for Sirius again. Marlene McKinnon needs to get hexed and whoever does it needs to make it a good one. I'm so scared that you, Alice, James, Remus, Sirius or Peter will die if we join I've had more than one unpleasant dream. I still wear the owl pendant Sirius gave me under my robes. I made fifty lists in the past week. My hair isn't naturally red. Hogsmeade didn't have my favorite chocolate. Lily Evans I think I'm going insane."

There was a long pause. A raindrop slid from Lily's forehead down her nose, sliding off the tip and onto her bottom lip as she stared at Rowan, open mouthed, eyes wide with shock and disbelief. A gentle rumble of thunder echoed throughout the grounds and Lily crossed her arms, scratching her head awkwardly.

"Uh…well, that's…" She said slowly. "It's…well, it's not okay…you aren't going insane but…it's okay you liked…I don't-" But she didn't seem to know where to go from there and after a few moments of gaping soundlessly at Rowan she nodded and looked at her shoes, standing there in her soaked robes and shivering from head to foot. Rowan felt her face grow hot.

"I'm sorry to pour all that onto you at once Lils." She said miserably. "I just never find the time to tell you anything anymore." Lily smiled a little sadly.

"It's alright Ro. Really." She said, placing both her hands on Rowan's shoulders. "We've all been so busy lately…though that hair part could have been mentioned as early as second year, when we stopped torturing each other long enough for form a decent friendship." Rowan giggled.

"Alright, yea…I guess I should try talking to people more instead of making so many damn lists."

"That sounds like a decent idea."

The stars were beginning to appear in the sky as the last of the fluffy clouds made their exit, shining brightly overhead as Lily gave Rowan's hand a squeeze.

"Whatever happens we'll always be together." She said. She raised her hand towards her face and for one frantic moment Rowan thought she was going to strike her before she noticed the silver charm bracelet glittering there.

"Bonded forever by this thing." She shook her wrist, causing the little charms to bang and clink together. "Mainly because I can't take it off, but also because I don't want to." She eyed Rowan's wrists. "Still wearing yours?" Rowan pulled back the sleeve of her robes.

"Right here." She said, holding her wrist up to Lily's. The little charms shone brightly, mirrored in the others bracelet on the highly polished silver.

"Spell book that opens and closes, a commemorative to our first Potions lesson."

"Which was a disaster." Rowan said, opening and closing the tiny charm.

"A broomstick, for our first pro Quidditch game." Lily continued, smiling fondly at it.

"Nearly got taken out by a Bludger…" Rowan muttered.

"Ah, one of my favorites." Lily breathed, holding the little charm between her fingers. Rowan looked down at it and grinned, finding the identical one on hers and comparing it to Lily's.

"A miniature lion for Gryffindor and a diamond S for sisterhood."

"Exactly." Lily said. She stepped forward and hugged Rowan, pulling back to survey her at arm's length.

"S for sisterhood, which means we'll be together no matter what happens."

The night sky had never been brighter.


	35. Note

Hey guys!

It's been awhile since I've updated this story (okay, more than awhile) and I pretty much lost track of it. I don't even know where to begin anymore. If anyone wants to finish it up go ahead, just give credit to me and a link back for the original idea. I'll try and finish it, but I have another fic going I hope I won't abandon. You can check out the link on my page J


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